School Year

As city schools CEO Andrés Alonso steps aside, he's turning the system over to a close adviser he's trusted during some of his administration's most trying moments. Alonso's chief of staff, Tisha Edwards, will lead the system through the 2014 school year as the Baltimore City Board of School Commissioners searches for a permanent replacement. During a news conference Monday at school headquarters, Alonso called her an "extraordinary leader" who has been "a part of every moment of crisis and every moment of celebration.

As President Fred Lazarus IV expanded the Maryland Institute College of Art over the past 35 years and helped turn it into one of the nation's leading arts colleges, supporters say, he has also focused on Baltimore - to the betterment of his college and his city. Lazarus, 71, announced Monday that he would retire in May 2014. Upon hearing the news, the city's cultural and civic leaders praised his foresight, saying he realized early on that improving life both in Baltimore and at the 187-year-old school went hand-in-hand.

Congratulations to the Dulaney High School Math team participants Minwei Cao, Jay Han, Casey Lim, Heetaek Lim and Lisa Ann Tang who were the winners of $1000 for their solution to the Moody's Mega Math Challenge recycling problem: Waste not, Want not: Putting Recyclables in their Place. Their 19-page solution was in the top 43 of 1,054 solutions submitted. In addition, Jay Han was the school winner of the American Mathematics Competition and scored well enough to compete in the second round competition - The American Invitational Mathematics Competition.

Following a two-month impasse, the Baltimore City school board voted Tuesday to extend a one-year contract to the operators of Baltimore Talent Development High School. The school board voted unanimously, with one recusal, to allow the Center for Social Organization of Schools at the Johns Hopkins University to operate the school for one more year, during which the district will monitor its progress. In January, after a months-long review of more than two dozen schools with external operators, city schools CEO Andres Alonso recommended severing ties with the school's operator at the end of the school year and slating the school for closure in 2014.

Harford County Public Schools students and faculty got some welcome news Tuesday: the school year will be ending three days earlier than expected. The school system - which has been closed six days for weather this school year - was granted a waiver for three of those days, Dr. Lillian Lowery, the state superintendent of schools, announced Tuesday. Harford County Public Schools were closed for three days near the beginning of the school year by the effects of what was left of Hurricane Sandy as the superstorm passed through the region.

Federal education officials warned Wednesday of deep cuts to school systems such as Baltimore's if lawmakers fail to avert across-the-board spending reductions - leaving local schools uncertain how many teachers and programs they can retain next year. The U.S. Department of Education would be required to cut $1.3 billion in aid for poor and disabled students under the federal budget sequester set to take effect Friday. About $24 million of that aid would be cut from Maryland schools, threatening jobs and programs in Baltimore, Prince George's County and other jurisdictions that rely heavily on the funds.

The Dunbar gym was sweltering during the Poets' boys basketball game against Baltimore City rival Edmondson earlier this season. It wasn't any different than countless other nights in past decades when the team had a big matchup, but the atmosphere was still new to Dunbar's transfer guard Daxter Miles. "There was a lot of emotions involved, a different vibe. That was the game so far," Miles said. "I know a lot about Poet Pride. You can see from all the banners on our wall. … It's great tradition here and an honor for me to play here.

Editor: I cannot tell you the relief that I feel that Dr. Tomback has decided to leave the Harford County School System at the end of this school year. This has been a reign of terror and discontent and I am very hopeful that the current Board of Education can do Harford County proud and locate a new Superintendent that is committed to Harford County Public Schools and its success. I  can only hope that Dr. Tomback takes some of his Baltimore County cronies with him. These people and a few others have tried to destroy the spirit of the Harford County School System, but Harford County will prevail!

Severn School and Chesapeake Academy will merge July 1 to create the largest independent school in Anne Arundel County, school officials said last week. The merged school will be known as the Severn School. Severn School in Severna Park, which will celebrate its centennial next school year, serves 600 students in grades six through 12. Chesapeake Academy in Arnold, which was founded in 1980, has more than 200 students in preschool through fifth grade. School officials said students in preschool through fifth grade will attend classes at the Chesapeake site, which will be renamed Severn School Chesapeake Campus, and will adopt Severn School's colors and uniforms, officials said.

Today, The Sun published a story about a slew of Baltimore city charter schools are up for renewal this school year, and all agree that it was fine time for the popular schools to have a uniformed, reliable and rigorous evaluation process that will improve their trajectory in the district. You can read more about that renewal process, here. The story also caught up on some challenges that charters have faced in the district's ever-changing reform climate, and their plans as they look to the next decade (they are marking 10 years since charter law was passed.)