budgets and budgeting

During the past 2 1/2 to 3 years, our PTA has been actively involved in advocating for a new facility for YBES

With congressional negotiators far apart on taxes and spending, a status-quo budget agreement might be the best possible outcome

A ridiculously low turnout at the two school budget workshops last week would cause a sane person to ask what was all the finger-pointing, posturing and blame casting about the last two years.

The Democrats' hidden agenda

The Aberdeen mayor and members of the City Council voted unanimously Wednesday morning in favor of a budget amendment to transfer $73,000 within the city's general fund as officials close out the fiscal 2013 budget.

Patuxent Valley Middle School parents are concerned their school won't get the renovations they say it needs because of budget constraints. Meanwhile, the school is due to be redistricted in order to open the new Hanover middle school next year.

When Maryland Senate President Thomas V. "Mike" Miller Jr. took the opportunity to announce that state Sen. Jim Robey would be the next Senate Majority Leader during a speech at a fundraiser for Del. Guy Guzzone last week, everyone in the room was the first to know.

The Cecil County man, convicted in a prescription pill case, was due to be sentenced in federal court last spring — until his attorney made an embarrassing admission to the judge: The federal defender's office could not afford to pay for documents the lawyer said he would need to represent his client.

Have those in Congress who want to cut food stamps tried surviving on $30 in groceries a week?

About 25 to 30 people, including Board of Education members, attended the first of a series of public input sessions on next year's Harford County Public Schools budget.

Instead of fighting over imaginary crises, the federal government needs to focus on the real one: the weak economy.

Auditor issues 'unmodified opinion,' trustees approve FY15 budget requests

Even though Rep. Andy Harris comes from one of the bluest states in the nation, his vote against the budget deal shows he is firmly at home with the conservatives.

Several work sessions to solicit input from Harford County school staff and parents of students about next year's budget begin next week

Conservatives have acted destructively and irresponsibly in bringing nation to the brink

As the late budget agreement cleared the way for federal workers across Maryland to go back to work and government offices to reopen Thursday, attention in Washington shifted to the next fiscal deadline: Jan. 15, when funding is set to run out again.

Congress Wednesday night approved a bipartisan deal to reopen the government and extend the nation's $16.7 trillion debt ceiling into early next year, a measure that will send tens of thousands of federal employees in Maryland back to work.

Democrats may think they've won, but the nation will lose if warnings about spending, debt go unheeded.

Catonsville and Arbutus residents invited to Oct. 16 session

Prince George's County Public Schools is holding a public hearing Wednesday, Oct. 16 from 6-8:30 p.m. at the Sasscer Administration Building in Upper Marlboro, to gain community input on the upcoming fiscal year 2015 operating budget.

The debt ceiling, why it's important and what you need to know about it.

Generally speaking, the general public should be a lot more interested in the formulation of a budget for the school system than attendance at public hearings on the subject would seem to indicate.

Compromising over shutting down the government would set a bad precedent for the future

After several years of controversy surrounding their budget and fiscal relationship with the county, Harford County Public Schools officials are asking employees and parents to get involved in next year's budget process from the beginning.

President Barack Obama used a speech Thursday in Maryland to lay blame for the government shutdown squarely on House Speaker John A. Boehner and warned that the economic consequences of Washington's latest budget battle would soon grow more severe.

Republicans' shift to a fight over the debt limit presents a grave threat to the nation that President Obama must not abide.

Congress isn't doing its job – and hasn't been for a while

The 23,000 civilians, contractors and members of uniformed military who work at Aberdeen Proving Ground were preparing Monday for the possibility of a federal government shutdown on Tuesday that is likely to have an impact well beyond the boundaries of the huge Harford County military installation.

In 1955 a political dispute over the budget for the Laurel Police Department resulted in half of the police officers resigning from the force. This incident was even more unusual since all of the resigning officers were women who had been hired originally as crossing guards, but had been given full police powers.

Lawmakers in Congress were scrambling late Monday to settle on legislation to end the latest budget showdown even as federal agencies prepared to cut services and furlough hundreds of thousands of federal employees.

The Howard County Board of Education approved at $94.6 million capital budget request for fiscal year 2015, as members of the Wilde Lake community turned out to support the funds included for a much-needed renovation at the oldest middle school in the county.

Maryland health secretary Joshua Sharfstein details reform efforts in the Developmental Disabilities Administration.

As the Oct. 11 release date of the new movie "Captain Phillips" approaches, Baltimore-based officials with the International Organization of Masters, Mates & Pilots hope to capitalize on the publicity to highlight the importance of the merchant marine — and full funding of their mission.

Maryland taxpayers kick in to cover shortfall

The effects of the sequester are devastating for young biomedical researchers.

The Baltimore City Council has rejected the mayor's plan to take money from the Recreation and Parks budget to pay for two new highly-touted prosecutor positions.

The Howard County Board of Education got its first look at HCPSS's proposed capital budget for fiscal year 2015 at its meeting Thursday, Sept. 12

Anne Arundel County education briefs

Just when it appeared Congress was prepared to keep the government operating into December, the usual suspects in the House say not so fast

Harford County school leaders received an earful Monday night from parents and students frustrated with new athletic and activity fees, as well as several support employees, angered over exemptions from paying the fee granted to children of teachers.

Anne Arundel County education briefs

A modernization project for Charles Carroll Elementary School in Westminster tops the list of capital improvement project funding sought by Carroll County Public Schools for fiscal year 2015.

Harford County school officials are proceeding with their implementation of fees for playing sports and participating in extracurricular activities, and have adjusted school bus routes countywide, but a county councilman and his fellow citizens are seeking ways to stop them from going further.

Millions rely on the SNAP program, yet Republicans propose to balance the budget on their backs

Harford County government and school officials faced a crowd of about 60 parents and community members Wednesday, frustrated with changes to school bus routes and fees for students to participate in sports and extracurricular activities.

I again call on you to work in concert with HCPS, the Harford County Board of Education, the Harford County Council, HCEA, and other stakeholders to craft a solution to this monumental problem.

Johns Hopkins and University of Maryland officials are awaiting word on a key NIH grant program, Clinical and Translational Science Awards, that is facing a budget squeeze.

Baltimore Sun reporters Jeff Barker and Don Markus and editor Matt Bracken weigh in on the three biggest topics of the past week in Maryland sports.

More protests from the public over school bus service cuts and new pay-to-play fees were hurled during Monday night's meeting of the Harford County Board of Education.

Six months after former Social Security Administration commissioner Michael J. Astrue left his post, the Obama administration has yet to nominate a replacement — leaving a leadership gap as the agency wrestles with shrinking budgets and hard choices.