Education

I am a firm believer in public schools. Not only are they a place for children to be educated and to grow, but they are the center of a community. 

District 16 has wonderful schools. But we also have our challenges. MCPS is the largest school system in Maryland - the 14th largest in the country - and we are growing by 2,500 students a year. MCPS has a large number of FARMS (31.5%) and ESOL (14.2%) students, as well as 11.7%  of our students receiving special education services. Along with the rest of the D16 team, I will continue to support our public schools.

Passed several pieces of legislation supporting our students, teachers, and families:

* HB 16 - the Hear Our Voices Act, improves access to Title IX resources by requiring each public school to provide information to students, faculty, staff, and parents regarding who serves as the Title IX coordinator for the school, the process in place for filing a sexual misconduct complaint, and the support measures that are in place for filing a sexual misconduct complaint and how to access the support measures.

* HB 243 - the Young Readers Program Act of 2023, establishes a grant program for libraries to work with nonprofits and distribute free books to children under 5 in low-income zip codes.

* HB 384/SB 248 - prevents colleges and universities from withholding transcripts because of outstanding debt.

* HB 448 - the Teacher Pay Parity Act requires a nonpublic school in which a child receiving special educations services is placed by the public school system to pay its teachers a salary that is equivalent to the local school salaries.

* SB 610 - puts guardrails on how virtual schools operate in Maryland and expands computer and Internet security infrastructure for virtual education.

* HB 1219 - the Maryland Educator Shortage Act of 2023, addresses the record vacancies in Maryland's schools by establishing the Teacher Development and Retention Program as a pilot program to encourage college students to pursue teaching careers.

* HB 1290/SB 959 - reforms the Maryland 529 Program. It abolishes the 529 Board and transfers the administration of the 529 program to the Treasurer.

Continued to invest in education and those who work in education:

• HB 277/SB 234:  Purple Star School Program. This legislation establishes the Purple Star Schools Program. This will provide students from military families with better support and stability when they have to change schools. The Purple Star Schools Program is administered by the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) and recognizes public schools that provide strong services and support for military-connected students and their families when students transfer schools as a result of a parent or guardian’s military service.   

• HB 734: Maryland Student Investment Act. House Bill 734 expands access to higher education. It makes college more affordable for Maryland students by increasing funding to the State’s financial aid programs. It also improves the Guaranteed Access Grant so that grant recipients who become ineligible due to an income change will remain eligible for the full award under certain conditions.  

• HB 1163/SB 362: Virtual Education.  This legislation equips the state for high-quality virtual education when a transition to remote learning is required and puts guardrails in place for existing virtual education raising the standard for these programs. It also requires the Department of Education to study best practices for virtual education and develop criteria for the establishment of virtual schools. The bill also requires local school boards to have a plan in place should they need to transition to virtual education for an extended period of time.   

• HB 1290: Public School Construction Funding. This legislation establishes legislative intent that the State should invest up to $450 million per year to maintain a stable number of funded public school construction projects, mandates certain spending for construction loans, and adjusts the cost share between the State and local jurisdictions in certain circumstances. 

• HB 1349/SB 831: Education Support Professionals - Bonus and Report. Gives a cash bonus to our food service workers, TA’s, student advocates, and other education support professionals for the next two years.  

• HB 1444: Income Tax Credit - Endowments of Maryland Historically Black Colleges – Extension. Repeals the sunset on the tax credit on the endowments of Maryland’s HBCUs so the tax credit can continue to support Maryland’s HBCUs, help them recover from the pandemic, and allow them to provide more scholarships to students. 

• HB 1450: Blueprint for Maryland's Future Alterations. House Bill 1450 adjusts the Blueprint’s implementation plan to better align with the formation of the Accountability and Implementation Board (AIB). The bill extends the dates for when the AIB must adopt a Comprehensive Implementation Plan (CIP) for the Blueprint and extends the dates for when the plans should be approved. The bill also dedicates a certain percentage of sales and use tax revenues to the Blueprint’s funding.    

• HB 1469: Maggie McIntosh Art Fund. House Bill 1469 establishes the Maggie McIntosh Arts Fund to provide grants to help Baltimore City public schools purchase art supplies for their classrooms. The Maggie McIntosh School Arts Fund is a special fund administered by Arts Every Day to provide grants to specified schools in Baltimore City and must be used to expand the arts curriculum for students in schools in Baltimore City that are eligible for concentration of poverty grants (CPGs). Beginning in fiscal 2023, $250,000 annually must be allocated from the remaining money in the State Lottery Fund after other specified distributions are made.  

• SB 4: Cybersecurity Scholarship Program Improvements This bill expands the Cybersecurity Public Service Scholarship Program by allowing part-time students to apply under certain conditions. It increases the number of years an individual may hold an award; and expands the positions that fulfill the program’s work and teaching obligations. 

* Overrode the Governor's Veto of the Blueprint for Maryland's Future (2020)(HB 1300). The Blueprint (also known as the Kirwan Recommendations) is a transformational education plan based on five pillars:

• Expanding full-day early education for low-income 3 and 4 year olds.
• Hiring and keeping high-quality, diverse teachers by paying teachers a salary comparable to other fields, providing more rigorous teacher preparation programs and implementing career ladders.
• Raising the standards for college and career readiness so students can compete with their international peers.
• Providing more resources for the students who need them most.
• Implementing an accountability board to monitor progress and ensure tax-payer funds are being used effectively.

* As a result, the Built to Learn Act of 2020 (HB 1) went into effect. This is the largest one-time school construction investment in Maryland history. 

* Passed the Blueprint 2.0 (HB 1372). After a year of distance-learning due to COVID-19 school closures, a growing number of students are falling further behind. The Blueprint Revision bill includes needed fixes to education funding that were exposed by the COVID-19 pandemic and:

Provides more support to address learning loss;

Expands behavioral and mental health resources;

Closes the digital divide with more access to broadband and devices; and

Requires better reporting and data tracking for more accountability.

* Passed early and overwhelmingly, HB 1 (2021), funding for Historically Black Colleges & Universities (HBCUs), was already signed into law by the Governor. While the State has increased operating and capital funding to the HBCUs over the past decade, additional investment is needed to increase the availability of new and distinct programming to attract more students to HBCUs. HB 1 provides $577M to settle a decade-long lawsuit and level the playing field for all students – regardless of their background, race, or the college they attend.

* Increased support of special education through HB 1365, which increases funding for Nonpublic Special Education Schools – schools that provide special education for public-school-funded children who cannot receive an appropriate education in public school.