Manon Sullivan, who will turn 11 next month, is a fifth grader at Rolling Knolls Elementary (RKE). She is a bright and articulate student who is keenly aware of her surroundings. Manon has attended the school since she was in kindergarten and says the thing she will miss most when she goes to Wiley H. Bates Middle School next year is the teachers at RKE. She's not the only one who feels this way. Other students and parents agree that RKE's teachers are top notch. In the midst of a contract negotiation impasse between the Anne Arundel County Board of Education and the Teachers Association of…

Massive budget cuts that included teacher layoffs were unavoidable for many U.S. school systems last year. That was not the case for Anne Arundel County Public Schools (AACPS), although there were some sacrifices and cutbacks in the county's budget. AACPS magnet schools are popular, especially among Annapolis residents who move their children from private to public school, because they give students more personalized options. The county now boasts 15 different magnet programs and, fortunately, everyone recognizes the importance of this trend. The budget has thus far allowed for signature and …