Maryland waives MoCo school fine

The Maryland State Board of Education voted Tuesday to waive a $51 million fine levied against Montgomery County schools for education funding below state minimums.

The fine had been been hanging over the state's largest school system after it failed to meet state requirements for minimum levels of education spending during the 2009-10 2010-11 fiscal year. But educators and politicians questioned the wisdom of the fine at a time when school systems are facing deep cuts because of the economy.

-- Michael Birnbaum