February 20th, 2023 by WCBC Radio

Maryland public schools could be turning the corner when it comes to the number of students who returned to campus back in the fall- and that includes Allegany County. Even though student enrollment is far from the pre-pandemic numbers, school officials believe there is reason to be optimistic. Every year, in the month of September, school systems take a sort of enrollment snapshot. It's their way of projecting how many students to place on the attendance rolls. And for the first time since the start of the pandemic, the numbers are starting to come back into focus. Allegany County Board of Education Chief Finance Officer Larry McKenzie reported this month that in addition to the small hike in the number of students enrolled, like the rest of the state, the number of kids eligible for free or reduced-price meals jumped dramatically…