MCPS has applied for a limited waiver offered by the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) that could excuse five of the nine snow days from earlier this year, according to MCPS spokesperson Dana Tofig.
Extensive hall sweeps implemented by the security team began on March 8. Penalties for tardiness have been distributed since March 9, according to assistant principal Andrew Coleman. The hall sweeps began because of an increase in the number of students tardy to class since the start of the school year.
On Mar. 9, the MCPS Board of Education (BOE) finalized a new anti-bullying policy, according to Board member Shirley Brandman. The Superintendent's Office, according to Brandman, will then be responsible for creating regulations from this policy.
The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) increased the fare for Metro services by $0.10 in order to cover a $40 million budget deficit for Fiscal Year (FY) 2010, according to WMATA spokesperson Angela Gates. The fare increase went into effect on Feb. 28.
In November 2008, shortly after an exuberant American electorate chose him to lead the world's foremost superpower, Barack Obama told an interviewer, "The first hundred days is going to be important, but it's probably going to be the first thousand days that makes the difference."
Principal intern Myriam Rogers assumed the role of principal on Jan. 26, a position she will fill until Feb. 26 as part of the Secondary Principal Internship program, according to the schools administrative secretary Cherrie Avery.
A new anti-gang task force along the border of Montgomery County and Prince George's County will form this year with the help of newly attained federal funds, according to special investigations division director Captain David Gillespie of the Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD).
Blair's dropout rate has been steadily increasing for the past decade, despite a decrease in Maryland's overall dropout rate, according to the 2009 Maryland Report Card. The Report Card which records state, county and individual school statistics regarding standardized tests and graduation.
Magnet students will be required to take Principles of Engineering (POE), starting this semester with the class of 2012, in order to fulfill recently modified Technology Education (Tech Ed) requirements. According to Magnet coordinator Peter Ostrander, the new course offering is part of a series of related changes to the Magnet program curriculum.
Blair will offer Advanced Placement (AP) Music Theory and AP Art History classes for the first time next year as a way to increase both the course variety for students and the number of students who take fine arts electives, said Sara Josey, fine arts resource teacher.
A plan to cut Ride-On bus service from 27 area routes has been proposed by county officials and will go into effect in March if the County Council approves the changes. The cuts are part of an effort to offset the county's projected $600 million budget deficit this fiscal year, according to county spokesperson Esther Bowring.
Magnet students will be required to take Principles of Engineering (POE), starting this semester with the class of 2012, in order to fulfill recently modified Technology Education (Tech Ed) requirements. According to Magnet coordinator Peter Ostrander, the new course offering is part of a series of related changes to the Magnet program curriculum.
New compact fluorescent lights (CFL) have been installed in school hallways and most teachers now have individual desk lamps that they can use instead of the classroom lights, according to Green Club sponsor Karen Shilling. These recent changes have made Blair more energy efficient, and were brought about by initiatives by the Randolph Maintenance Depot, the Green Club, building services and MCPS School Energy and Recycling Team (SERT).
In 2008, Blair students took 1,708 Advanced Placement (AP) exams, according to a February 2009 memorandum from the MCPS Office of Shared Accountability, while in 2009, Blair students took 1,998 exams, according to Jody Leleck, chief academic officer for Montgomery County schools. The number of exams increased by approximately 17 percent from 2008 to 2009.
Superintendent Jerry Weast proposed a $2.2 billion preliminary operating budget for fiscal year 2011 (FY 2011) at a Board of Education meeting last week. Weast's goal in preparing the budget was to keep expenditures as low as possible without compromising quality of education, reflecting limited resources as a result of the recession, according to Chris Barclay, vice president of the Board.
The Montgomery County Planning Board held a public hearing Dec. 10 to discuss the proposed Purple Line Plan in the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission auditorium in Silver Spring, according to Tom Autrey, head of Montgomery County Transportation Planning.
The Board of Education (BOE) added expanded Student Member of the Board (SMOB) voting rights to its 2010 legislative platform in a Nov. 10 vote, according to SMOB Timothy Hwang, who introduced the proposal.
The University of Maryland Board of Regents approved a decision on Dec. 4 that will require undergraduate applicants to take four years of high school math, including a course their senior year, according to Teri Hollander, the associate vice chancellor for academic affairs.
The Maryland State Department of Education may withhold funds from the current MCPS Fiscal Year 2010 budget because the county did not meet maintenance of effort funding requirements (MOE) for this fiscal year, according to Marc Hansen, deputy county attorney for Montgomery County.
At the end of last year, according to Blair financial secretary Donna Franklin, Blair underwent an internal audit conducted by the MCPS Internal Audit office, a subdivision of the MCPS Office of Shared Accountability. The auditors, according to social studies teacher James Mogge, have given Blair recommendations based on the audit, including suggestions for a more systematic method of organizing field trips, which has increased teacher preparation to arrange a field trip.
Security measures and enforcement on school grounds have increased after several incidents of student misconduct in the past few weeks, according to assistant principal Andrew Coleman. School security has focused on deterring students from going off-campus during the school day and preventing thefts within the building, he said.
The Board of Education (BOE) has recommended restroom renovations for Blair in Fiscal Year (FY) 2016, according to Adrienne Karamihas, the capital budget manager for the MCPS Department of Facilities Management. The renovations are part of MCPS's Capital Improvements Program (CIP).
Despite the recent budget crunch, Governor Martin O'Malley refused to cut funds that have been set aside for education, due to a $2 billion state budget deficit.
Montgomery County has used up its stock of H1N1 vaccinations to be provided in the area, according to Mary Anderson, spokeswoman for the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services (MCDHHS). Free H1N1 vaccines will no longer be provided on the predetermined dates of Nov. 4, Nov. 11 and Nov. 18.
The Blair administration has initiated a push for seniors to complete the 60 Student Service Learning (SSL) hour graduation requirement, according to resource counselor Marcia Johnson.
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