With employee health care costs leading the way, Maryland’s public school districts spent $21.1 billion between fiscal years 2019 and 2022 not on teacher and staff salaries, but on everything else that keeps the schools running. That’s the bottom line…
Baltimore County leads state in transparency of school expenditures
If you’re curious about how your local school district is spending its money, you can download data from the “Contracted Out” database. But if you want to know exactly why school districts spend what they spend, you’re out of luck…
Some school expenses, big and small, remain a mystery
If you take a look at some of the ways Maryland school districts spend your tax dollars, you may be left with an obvious question: Why? In one major case, it’s not a question the spokesman for Anne Arundel County…
About the project
“Contracted Out” was a massive effort pulled together by four faculty members and dozens of students at the University of Maryland’s Philip Merrill College of Journalism. Derek Willis, lecturer in computational and data journalism, suggested the project and worked with…
About the data
The data compiled in “Contracted Out” was provided by all of the 24 public school districts in Maryland. The data provides records of vendors that receive payments of $25,000 or more during a fiscal year from a board of education…
Board of Education Race 2022 Coverage
Reporters at the Local News Network produced several in-depth stories about the issues in Maryland’s 2022 school board elections, based largely on a survey of and interviews with the candidates. In addition, student reporters vetted the candidates and produced stories about the ones who didn’t pay taxes on time — and one who had been repeatedly charged with shoplifting.
Board of Education Voter Guide
The Local News Network surveyed all 155 Maryland school board candidates and got responses from 102 of them, which are included in this voter guide to the 2023 board of education elections in the state.
Bringing Back Baseball
A $70 million ballpark is coming to Hagerstown. What will it mean for the city?
Hagerstown’s new ballpark: Picnic areas, walking paths and high expectations
HAGERSTOWN — From the corner of West Baltimore Street and Summit Avenue, you can see the future of baseball in the Hub City There aren’t any home runs flying yet. But next Spring, the cranes and construction workers will be…
Baseball stadium aims to revitalize city center
HAGERSTOWN – The new ballpark under construction here is the latest effort to bring baseball back to a town that has a rich history tied to the game. But the project is also an attempt to revitalize a city core…