Notes: An Education Department win, a mixed bag on Prince George’s bonds, personnel changes

A federal judge has temporarily blocked President Donald Trump’s executive order that would have dismantled the Department of Education, and he ordered the reinstatement of hundreds of department employees who were laid off in a massive March reduction in force.

U.S. District Judge Myong J. Joun ruled Thursday that there is no evidence the layoffs were part of a plan to improve efficiency at the department, but said they were merely steps toward closing the statutorily mandated agency without congressional approval, or even any effort to get Congress to do so.

“A department without enough employees to perform statutorily mandated functions is not a department at all,” Joun wrote. “This court cannot be asked to cover its eyes while the Department’s employees are continuously fired and units are transferred out until the Department becomes a shell of itself.”

The ruling, in the U.S. District Court for Massachusetts, came in response to legal challenges filed there by 21 Democratic attorneys general, including Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown, and by a coalition of labor and education groups . A separate challenge was filed days later by a group of advocacy and labor groups in U.S. District Court for Maryland.

Joun temporarily prohibited enforcement of a March 20 executive order that called for the department to take “all necessary steps to facilitate the closure” of the federal agency, as well as the president’s call to move oversight of federal student loans, nutrition programs and special education services to other federal agencies. Joun also ordered the return of more than 1,300 employees who were laid off in the March reduction in force.

Federal layoffs drag down state employment gains for second month, new numbers show

Madi Biedermann, a spokesperson for the department, told States Newsroom in a statement Thursday that the decision by “a far-left” judge overstepped his authority. The administration filed an appeal the same day.

“President Trump and the Senate-confirmed Secretary of Education clearly have the authority to make decisions about agency reorganization efforts, not an unelected Judge with a political axe to grind. This ruling is not in the best interest of American students or families,” Biedermann said.

But Brown, who has joined numerous lawsuits against the administration, said Joun’s injunction “ensures Maryland schools and students will get the resources they need while we continue the fight for our children’s future in court.”

“Employees who work for the Department of Education help keep class sizes small, make sure students with disabilities get the care and support they deserve, and administer college loans and grants to young adults so they can one day land their dream job,” Brown said in a statement released Friday morning.

Moody’s downgrades Prince George’s County bonds

Moody’s has downgraded its rating of Prince George’s County’s general obligation bonds from its highest rating of Aaa to Aa1, saying the county’s overall financial outlook is strong but noting that financial reserves are lower than other jurisdictions with similar ratings.

The rating Thursday came the same day that the other two major bond-rating agencies, Standard & Poor’s and Fitch Ratings, reaffirmed the highest AAA ratings for the county’s planned June 4 sale of $247.7 million in general obligation bonds. Both maintained their stable outlook for the county’s finances, with Standard & Poor’s saying it does “not expect to lower the rating during the next two years.”

Acting County Executive Tara Jackson acknowledged the “slight downgrade” by Moody’s but noted that it mirrors similar rating changes for other jurisdictions in the region. Both Maryland and the District of Columbia were downgraded in recent weeks by Moody’s from Aaa to Aa1.

Jackson said in a prepared statement that the overall ratings from all three agencies reaffirm the county’s position as “among the top-rated jurisdictions nationwide.”

“The AAA ratings from Fitch and S&P reaffirm our strong financial management and longstanding commitment to fiscal discipline,” Jackson’s statement said. “In light of our successful efforts to address the issues that led to their negative outlook, I am disappointed that Moody’s chose to downgrade us to Aa1.

“Our ability to meet those challenges demonstrates our agility and sound planning. By maintaining healthy reserves, diversifying revenue, and investing strategically in our communities, we continue to build investor confidence and deliver long-term stability for our residents,” she said.

The Moody’s report cited the county’s reliance on federal employment, with an estimated 9% of the county workforce classified as federal workers, but it said it “has seen minimal data suggesting negative consequences from either job contraction or policy shifts” at the federal level so far. It added that the county’s “very large and dynamic local economy, with a pipeline of ongoing redevelopment projects in progress” will offset the possible loss of projects like the proposed new FBI headquarters in Greenbelt, which President Donald Trump has proposed canceling.

But Moody’s said federal uncertainties present “risk to its [the county’s] budget and fiscal position in the next year and beyond,” and noted the county reserves, at 22% to 24% of revenues, were below the median of 33% for other Aa-rated jurisdictions. It reduced its ratings for county bonds across the board by a notch, but maintained a stable outlook for all.

Standard & Poor’s said its decision to keep an AAA rating for Prince George’s reflects “the county’s strong economic trends, robust management practices, and very strong budgetary flexibility and liquidity.” It also cited the county’s “ability to maintain generally stable finances, balancing competing expenditure priorities consistent with a large, diverse, and growing community.”

Fitch said its AAA rating represents “the county’s historically strong operating performance … and a ‘high midrange’ level of budgetary flexibility.”

AIB members needed

The independent body that oversees the state’s 10-yeear, multibillion-dollar education reform plan needs new members.

Applications opened Thursday for people to apply to the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future Accountability and Implementation Board (AIB). The AIB nominating committee will send the governor at least two names for each of three board vacancies.

Board member Mara Doss, a former associate vice president for teaching, learning and student success at Prince George’s Community College, plans to resign June 30 with one year left in her six-year term. Board member Laura Stapleton, who chairs the Human Development and Quantitative Methodology Department at the University of Maryland, College Park, said last week she will not reapply when her term expires July 1.

AIB board member Joseph Manko, an education program officer at the Abell Foundation, also has a term that expires July 1. But Maryland Energy Secretary Paul Pinsky, who serves on the nominating committee, said in a meeting Tuesday that one person “is seeking reappointment,” without naming names.

Candidates should have expertise in certain areas, such as understanding of education policy, teaching in public schools and “leading and implementing systemic change in complex organizations,” and they must submit a 500-word essay describing how they would contribute to the success of the board.

Applications are due by 5 p.m. June 12 and nominees will be announced in July. The governor has 30 days after receiving the list to name the board members.

Homeland Security director to lose ‘acting’ title

Travis Nelson, the acting director of the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security since January 2024, is about to be “acting” no more: Gov. Wes Moore (D) announced Friday that Nelson will officially take over as director on June 11.

“For the last year and a half, Travis has already been doing the work – helming the Office of Homeland Security as acting director,” Moore said in a statement from his office. “This appointment marks simply the latest chapter in a distinguished record of keeping Marylanders safe and ensuring we are prepared for any crisis.”

Nelson, a 19-year veteran of the Maryland State Police, has “high-level experience coordinating complex public safety initiatives across the region,” according to the governor’s office. Since 2014, he has served as co-chair of the Maryland Active Assailant Interdisciplinary Work Group, working with multiple agencies to identify, prepare for and respond to active assailant incidents.

He was previously commander of the Maryland State Police Complex Operations Management Unit, responsible for contributing to the oversight, management, and planning of complex incidents and events, the governor’s office said. He began his public safety career more than 20 years ago in Kent and Queen Anne’s counties, serving as an emergency communications specialist, public safety dispatcher, emergency medical technician and state trooper. He is a life member of the Kent and Queen Anne’s Rescue Squad in Chestertown.

Nelson said he was honored to be named to the director’s job.

“In an era of evolving threats, our mission is clear: to build a more resilient, responsive, and unified security infrastructure that safeguards every Marylander,” he said, in the statement released by the governor’s office. “I look forward to working closely with our federal, state, and local partners to ensure the safety and security of all our communities.”

The Governor’s Office of Homeland Security was formed in 2003 by then-Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. to coordinate state homeland security efforts, advise the governor and assess Maryland’s readiness and ability to respond to disasters and emergencies.