Throughout June, we furthered our commitment to supporting world-class education for every child in Maryland by announcing $18.6 million in new education funding. We also announced $80 million in scholarships for the 2018-2019 school year to help make higher education more affordable and accessible to Maryland students.

At the Shake & Bake Family Fun Center in Baltimore City, my entire cabinet and I held our sixth Regional Cabinet Meeting. There, we announced funding for infrastructure, safe streets, and community development that will directly benefit Baltimore City and its citizens. View highlights from this meeting and the nearly 90 stops we made afterward here.

I was able to spend time on the beautiful Eastern Shore this month, from speaking at the 2018 Maryland Municipal League Summer Conference to cutting the ribbon on the new Dover Bridge. Mid-June, we attended the 126th Maryland Fireman’s Convention and the Maryland State’s Attorney’s Summer Conference in Ocean City. Afterward, I had a moment to enjoy the lovely weather, the OC Air Show, boardwalk snacks, and ice cream with my family.

Governor Larry Hogan held his sixth Regional Cabinet Meeting at the Shake & Bake Family Fun Center in Baltimore City. The governor was joined by Lt. Governor Boyd Rutherford, former delegate and Baltimore City Council member Keiffer Mitchell, who served as emcee for the event, as well as more than 40 cabinet secretaries and directors representing agencies across the state, and numerous state and local officials.

At the meeting, Governor Hogan announced $15.2 million in new funding for programs and projects that will directly benefit Baltimore City and its citizens. This includes $5 million in new funding for violence intervention programs, such as the Baltimore Safe Streets initiative; along with $3 million for much needed repairs to the Hanover Street bridge.

“Baltimore City has endured some difficult times, but a strong Maryland depends on a strong Baltimore,” said Governor Hogan. “That’s why, over the past four years, we have been overwhelmingly supportive of the City, providing more than $5 billion in local aid, more than $2 billion for transit projects, and our state investment into Baltimore City’s school system is three-and-a-half times more than the state average.”

The governor allocated $5 million in his upcoming budget for the Maryland Violence Intervention and Prevention Program Fund, which will support effective violence reduction strategies by providing competitive grants to local governments and nonprofits in areas of the state disproportionately impacted by violence. This fund was created by legislation the governor signed earlier this year as part of a comprehensive, bipartisan package of bills aimed at reducing violent crime, including the governor’s historic legislation to toughen sentences for repeat violent offenders and people who commit crimes with a gun.

Governor Larry Hogan announced $18.6 million in new education funding to go toward a series of initiatives, including recommendations from Maryland’s Commission on Innovation and Excellence in Education, known as the Kirwan Commission. While the Commission will present its final findings and recommendations at the end of 2018, this funding reflects preliminary recommendations made earlier this year.

“Every child in Maryland deserves access to a world-class education, regardless of what neighborhood they happen to grow up in,” said Governor Hogan. “That’s why our administration has provided record funding for K-12 education for four years in a row and has been committed to innovative and outside-the-box education strategies, such as P-TECH and our ACCESS Initiative. These new investments are yet another way we are giving our students even more opportunities to learn, grow, and thrive.”