In Fiscal Year 2025, the Maryland Lottery, casinos, sports wagering, and daily fantasy sports generated a combined $1.589 billion for state programs and services, averaging $4.35 million per day.
Education
Following an Inspector General report that identified long-standing gaps in background screening processes, Superintendent Dr. Thomas Taylor shared an update on Montgomery County Public Schools’ efforts to strengthen these procedures and reassure families that all current employees have completed required background checks.
Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) is hosting its annual Back-to-School Fair on Saturday, Aug. 23, from 10 am to 1 pm at Westfield Wheaton mall. This free event is a great opportunity for families to prepare for the upcoming school year.
Starting with the 2025–2026 school year, Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) will implement a revised grading and reporting policy for students in grades 6 through 12. MCPS shared that these changes are designed to bring greater consistency across schools, reinforce academic accountability, and set clear expectations for student learning.
Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) Superintendent Dr. Thomas Taylor has given a direct and candid assessment of the ongoing payroll issues, promising a resolution by the end of this week. During an appearance on Sunil Dasgupta’s “I Hate Politics” podcast, Dr. Taylor took ownership of the problem and admitted that it is not a new challenge for the school district.
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Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) Superintendent Dr. Thomas Taylor issued the following on Monday, August 4, reassuring families that all current MCPS employees have completed required background checks, after an Inspector General report identified long-standing process gaps. He emphasized that students are safe and outlined immediate actions to improve continuous monitoring, CPS clearances, and overall screening procedures with a focus on transparency and accountability.
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The Montgomery County Office of the Inspector General released a report identifying serious deficiencies in MCPS’s background screening process, including a lack of ongoing monitoring for over 12,000 employees and missing Child Protective Services checks for nearly 5,000 individuals. In response, Council President Kate Stewart and Vice President Will Jawando called for immediate corrective action, expressed deep concern over systemic failures, and announced an oversight hearing scheduled for September 26.
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Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) announced another update to their plan to revamp secondary school magnets during their July 24 meeting after incorporating community feedback. Currently, their recommendation calls for a major overhaul to the current countywide and consortium-based magnet model with a new six-region structure beginning with the class of 2031. Students in graduating classes before then will be allowed to remain in the programs they are currently enrolled in.
The long, quiet summer is nearly over. The pads are about to start popping. The early morning fog of two-a-days will soon give way to the bright Friday night lights. September 5th marks the official kickoff of the 2025 Montgomery County high school football season, and while the state title games in Annapolis are still months away, the road to December glory begins now.
Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) is introducing a new, full-day initiative for the 2025–2026 school year called Student Transition Day on Monday, August 25th. This non-instructional day is designed to help students acclimate to new school levels and buildings before the entire student body returns.
Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services (MCFRS) and the Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD) responded to a two-vehicle collision involving a school bus on the morning of Friday, August 1, in Olney. (more…)