Lawmakers Concerned About Achievement Gap

A consultant's report on new state and local money spent on Maryland public schools since 2002 drew criticism yesterday from some lawmakers, who said poor, black and Hispanic students are not sufficiently narrowing the gap in achievement with white students.

"When we break down the demographics and look at specifics, African American test scores have flattened," Del. Craig L. Rice (D-Montgomery) told officials with MGT of America, the company hired by the state to review the 2002 school-funding measure known as the Thornton law. "It's kind of concerning."

The law was designed to narrow differences in spending between Maryland's less-prosperous and higher-income school districts. Most of the $2 billion in new money has gone to salaries and benefits for 11,000 teachers, administrators and other staff in an attempt to keep salaries competitive and attract better teachers, the report said.

Additional staff has improved the statewide teacher-to-student ratio, from one teacher for every 15.9 students to one for every 13.6 students, the consultants told lawmakers in a positive report.

"The main story being told here is that all students are improving . . . by leaps and bounds," MGT senior partner Jerry Ciesla told House lawmakers.

But some delegates noted that Hispanic and black students are lagging. Less than 45 percent of African American middle school students passed statewide math tests last year, compared with almost 90 percent of Asian students and almost 80 percent of whites.

"Yes, we've spent a heck of a lot of money," Del. Ana Sol Gutierrez (D-Montgomery) said. "But are we getting to the core of helping those students who are continuing to not do well?"

Ciesla said lower-achieving students "are going to get there eventually. The point is that all of these special groups are moving ahead."

An analysis by Advocates for Children and Youth, a Baltimore-based nonprofit group, said the report does not address how much of the Thornton money is being directed to help low-performing students, either through new teachers or such programs as after-school tutoring and summer school. "Is the money really going to low- income groups as it is intended, or is it going to everybody?" asked Terrylynn M. Tyrell, the group's education director.

-- Lisa Rein

Defying Constellation

Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) upped the ante yesterday in his administration's battle with Constellation Energy Group, saying he will fight a lawsuit the power company announced this week to recover $386 million it agreed to credit electric customers.

"We will spare no expense when it comes to investing in legal help, professional witnesses" or other means to defend the state, the governor said at a news conference. He said he and regulators at the Public Service Commission "are united in standing together to defend the best interests of our state," which include a "stable regulatory environment with predictability and affordability" when it comes to electricity bills.

Constellation, the parent of Baltimore Gas & Electric, said its action was prompted by a series of reports from state regulators on the terms of Maryland's 1999 deregulation law. The reports said the law favored the power company over customers. Furious Constellation officials responded with a legal threat to cancel credits that the General Assembly forced it in 2006 to give utility customers. Scheduled over 10 years, the credits come to about $3 a month on bills and were a concession that lawmakers extracted during a special session to address a massive BGE rate increase.

-- Lisa Rein

Immigration Proposal

The Republican leader of the House of Delegates introduced legislation yesterday that would block illegal immigrants from receiving some government services.

Minority Leader Anthony J. O'Donnell (R-Calvert) joins several other conservative Republicans proposing measures to crack down on illegal immigrants. His bill is designed to deny welfare to undocumented applicants, he said. "It says you can't go on the dole."

O'Donnell said he is not sure how many illegal immigrants apply for welfare benefits, "but if they're not many, the bill would do no harm." He acknowledged that changes of passage are slim but said "it should be part of the public discourse."

-- Lisa Rein