The test results showed that among 23 schools, there wasn’t a single student doing math at grade level. Out of the 196 schools in the Baltimore metro area, less than five percent passed the math test. “It just sounds like these schools, now, have turned into essentially babysitters with no accountability,” Jovani Patterson, a Baltimore resident who filed a lawsuit against Baltimore City Schools, told FOX 5 News. Patterson’s lawsuit argues that the district is misusing taxpayer funds by failing to educate students. “These kids can't do math. You're not preparing them to buy groceries,” Patterson said. “You're not preparing them to do accounting, to count their own money. You're not preparing them to read contracts and negotiate salaries.” Like many districts around the country, Baltimore was severely impacted by the 2020 pandemic. However, the region has had its own unique challenges related to providing a proper education for students. In the summer of 2022, Baltimore Public Schools was implicated in a grade-fixing scheme that saw thousands of students passed even though they failed to meet grade requirements for advancement. More than 12,500 grades were improperly changed, prompting the state’s Gov. Larry Hogan to direct state prosecutors to open a criminal investigation. At the end of January 2023, Baltimore County Schools Superintendent Darryl Williams announced his retirement, informing parents that he would not be seeking a second term. “After much deliberation and conversation with my family, I have decided to not seek an additional four-year contract,” he wrote in a letter to parents, according to the Baltimore Banner. “It has been an honor to serve as superintendent of Baltimore County Public Schools, and I thank the Board of Education for the opportunity to lead this incredible system. I am very proud of the work we have done together to raise the bar, close gaps and prepare our students to thrive in their future, despite the many challenges our system has faced.”The Maryland State Department of Education recently released 2022 state test results showing that students in Baltimore had the lowest math scores in the state.
