We Can, and Must, Do Better

Posted on March 24, 2024March 24, 2024 by Jenny

I was born and raised on the lower Eastern Shore of Maryland, attending Worcester County public schools. Worcester County is rural and working class, with a median household income that is roughly half that of my current home of Howard County. More than half of Worcester County’s student population county-wide receives free and reduced-price meals. Thirty years ago, Worcester County public schools had modest offerings. My high school offered only five AP classes. There was no orchestra, only...

Howard County, It’s Time to Ante Up

Posted on June 10, 2020August 17, 2020 by Jenny

It’s probably a safe bet (see what I did there) that you know what ante is. That seed money in the pot is an important part of the poker game. It’s what gets that jackpot growing. And if you don’t ante up, you don’t play. The Howard County Public School System is facing the reality that county residents and elected officials want to win the jackpot without tossing a chip on the table. In January, HCPSS Superintendent Michael Martirano requested a $964.1M FY21 operating budget for the scho...

Austerity or Bust

Posted on May 24, 2020August 17, 2020 by Jenny

Mommy and Daddy are fighting about money again. Daddy lost his job because of the pandemic, and they must figure out how to live only on Mommy's income. Mommy wants to stop buying fresh produce for home-cooked meals and switch to Hungry-Man TV dinners to save money. Daddy thinks they should invest some money into creating a backyard garden so they can grow their own produce instead. Mommy thinks that idea is ridiculous, because in times like these, they should be saving money, not spending ...