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SILVER SPRING | TAKOMA PARK | WHEATON | BURTONSVILLE
INSIDE TODAY
DA I LY U P DAT E S AT G A Z E T T E . N E T
Wednesday, April 15, 2015
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Key state education funds up in air ‘Free-range’ family is again part of debate Montgomery awaits outcome of budget tussle n
BY
KATE S. ALEXANDER STAFF WRITER
About $35 million in state funding for Montgomery County Public Schools remained in limbo Tuesday after the Maryland General Assembly wrapped up its 2015 legislative session. Lawmakers passed a budget Monday that fully funds education according to formulas under state law, including one known as the Geographic Cost of Education Index. The index provides additional money to school systems where the cost of education is higher. Sen. Richard S. Madaleno Jr. (D-Dist. 18) of Kensington said the index has been fully funded since 2010. Whether the index money reaches local school systems is up to Gov. Larry Hogan. Hogan (R) warned Monday that he might not disperse the funds. The governor and the legislature battled in the closing days of the session over the budget — particularly Hogan’s cuts to education funding to reduce the structural deficit. “In all likelihood, I will have to use the money to fix the problem they created,” he said. Instead of a surplus, Hogan said, “we have to make up ... $202 million and we have to find a way to restore the money from the pension fund, which is a big problem. So we’ll probably have to use some of the fenced-off money to save the state and put us back on better fiscal footing.” Hogan was referring to money the legislature earmarked for index funding. Hogan’s initial budget proposed only funding the index by half. A deal he struck Saturday with Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. (D-Dist. 27) of Chesapeake Beach and House Speaker Michael E. Busch (D-Dist. 30) of Annapolis would have provided 75 percent of the index funds. A majority of the legislature wanted all of it and found money in the budget for it, although some Republicans later backed away. Not spending the money lawmakers set aside for the index could be nothing but a political move, said Del. C. William Frick. “It would be an absolute insult to every child, every teacher, every parent in Mont-
See EDUCATION, Page A-10
Silver Spring couple’s children were in custody for hours
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BY BRIGID SCHULTE AND DONNA ST. GEORGE THE WASHINGTON POST
BILL RYAN/THE GAZETTE
State Sen. Nancy J. King talks during a discussion of education funding in the Maryland Senate on Monday.
General Assembly passes majority of county bills n
A few fail in session’s waning minutes
BY
KATE S. ALEXANDER STAFF WRITER
Of 23 local bills backed by the Montgomery County delegation in the 2015 session, which ended Monday night, 15 passed. That list includes some bills jointly sponsored with Prince George’s County legislators. On Tuesday, Gov. Larry Hogan (R) signed about 10 county delegation bills. However, not everything on the county’s list of priorities passed. Once again, a bill to give the student member of the Montgomery County Board of Education the power to vote on certain issues failed. A bill that would create a spe-
cial election process to fill a vacancy on the Board of Education also failed. Both were held hostage in the Senate. With the final seconds ticking away Monday night, Sen. Nancy J. King (D-Dist. 39) of Montgomery Village said, she faced several minutes of questioning on the student member bill from Republicans. As the clock struck midnight, Sen. Michael J. Hough (R-Dist. 4) of Brunswick was speaking on the floor and a vote was never taken, she said. Nothing happens by chance, said Sen. Roger Manno. “Somebody didn’t like that bill from the beginning, decided they were going to eventually kill it,” said Manno (D-Dist. 19) of Silver Spring. Still, the idea has strong support from some members of the county delegation.
See BILLS, Page A-6
A familiar debate over how much freedom parents should give their children ignited Monday with the news that a Montgomery County couple had, once again, tangled with Child Protective Services for allowing their youngsters to take a walk on their own. A couple of months after Danielle and Alexander Meitiv were found responsible for “un-
substantiated neglect” for letting Rafi, 10, and Dvora, 6, walk home from a park close to where they live in downtown Silver Spring, they gave the children permission to do it again. Responding to a call from a citizen, police collected the children and took them to CPS in Montgomery where, 5 1/2 anxious hours later, they were reunited with their parents. The chain of events has again electrified parents, parent educators and lawmakers, but the debate has shifted from overwhelming support for the Meitivs and outrage at county officials to support mixed with some wariness over which side
See DEBATE, Page A-10
City picks Takoma Junction developer Council also urges county to keep Piney Branch pool open n
BY
KEVIN JAMES SHAY STAFF WRITER
Culminating a process that began more than a year ago, the Takoma Park City Council on Monday unanimously picked Neighborhood Development Co. of Washington, D.C., for a development project. The council agreed to negotiate with Neighborhood Devel-
opment Co. to build a mixed-use project on cityowned land around the intersection of Carroll and Ethan Allen avenues. The city released a request for proposals from developers for the Takoma Junction project in January 2014. Four finalists were announced last September. While an actual contract with NDC could take several months, the council’s vote narrows that field to the one developer. Some residents said during
See DEVELOPER, Page A-10
Bill aiming to curb For Silver Spring woman, dance is therapy human trafficking Alzheimer’s fundraiser helps her honor her mother, who had dementia n
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County measure requires licensing of reflexology, other businesses BY
RYAN MARSHALL STAFF WRITER
Businesses offering reflexology or similar services will have to be licensed by Montgomery County, after the County Council passed a bill to cut down on human trafficking in the county. The Montgomery County Council voted unanimously
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Tuesday to approve the bill regulating “bodywork” establishments that use practices such as reflexology or acupressure. The bill defines bodywork as “the practice of using one’s hands to apply pressure on an individual’s fully clothed body or bare feet to affect the electromagnetic energy, energetic field, or energy meridians of the human body.” Many businesses in the county have marketed them-
See TRAFFICKING, Page A-10
BY
STAFF WRITER
BILL RYAN/THE GAZETTE
Silver Spring resident Barbara Schoeberl and her dance partner and instructor, Nicholas Gallagher of Annapolis, practice at the Capital Ballroom in Bethesda.
A&E B-4 B-12 A-11 A-2 B-8 A-12 B-1
SWEET MELODIES R&B star Brian McKnight to hold concert for BSU’s 150th anniversary at National Harbor.
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KEVIN JAMES SHAY
Volume 28, No. 11, Two sections, 28 Pages Copyright © 2015 The Gazette
In the midst of battling a rare form of uterine cancer, gestational trophoblastic neoplasia, Barbara Schoeberl found relief by getting up to dance. About a decade ago, the Silver Spring resident was treated for the aggressive stage 4 cancer — in which she said her symptoms were well beyond the “high risk” category — through surgery, chemotherapy and drugs. She said a drug caused her to
have severe neuropathy, and she couldn’t feel her hands or feet. Her balance was off to the point it was hard to walk. “I thought that was a perfect time to strap on dancing shoes,” said Schoeberl, a scientific “communicator,” which involves being an illustrator, animator, writer, photographer and video editor. “It really did help. ... Dancing makes me feel alive in the moment.” Schoeberl has advanced in ballroom dance and will be among the participants in the Alzheimer’s Association Greater Maryland chapter’s annual Memory Ball “Dancing Stars”
See DANCE, Page A-10
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