By Kevin M. Maxwell When I arrived as Superintendent in 2006, the top priority for our school system was unquestionably to eliminate the achievement gap. In fact, I stated emphatically in my first budget address to the Board that I believed we would be the first school system in the state to do so. That continues to be our top priority today, not because it sounds nice or because it satisfies an Office For Civil Rights Mediated Agreement. It remains in the forefront of our efforts because it is the right thing for children – all children. A child’s race, ethnicity or social status should play…

School systems across Maryland, and the United States, for that matter, are hardly immune to controversies over the manner in which funding is spent. We are no different, so it comes as no surprise that local newspapers and websites have been outlets for criticism in this arena. Two lenses are critical in examining these criticisms, however: accuracy and context. One such example is a recent comment made by County Executive John R. Leopold with regard to fourth-quarter budgetary transfers. He stated that our school system has "asked to transfer money from the classrooms to administrative …