Find out why they’re all headed to Annapolis.
I’m marching to make sure the governor knows that the money from gambling was meant for education and needs to go to education. The time’s up for the Education Trust Fund to be used at the governor’s discretion rather than what it was meant for and how it was presented to the public. Maryland’s elected leaders need to know that we know what they’ve been doing and we won’t sit idly by while they misappropriate the funds.
I’m marching because that $500 million is just the first step to helping our education system. This money goes towards more support staff, lowering class sizes, and fixing our school facilities. I am marching to increase wages for all educators — attracting qualified teachers to stay in the profession, enrich our student’s learning, and, in turn, create a desire for them to become the teachers of our future.
We need not, and should not, cooperate with a system that oppresses us. If I don’t show up, if I’m not involved, if I don’t hold those in power accountable, then I am complicit in shortchanging and starving my students’ education. Politicians made a funding promise. They broke it. We let them. No longer.
It’s critical for educators to demonstrate to our governor and our elected leaders that we are serious about adequately funding our schools.
Now it’s time to show legislators that they have broken our trust in the Education Trust Fund. We need to denounce the pilfering of money from the Trust and make a stand to save the revenue for our schools and our students. Promises need to be kept and that’s what the Fix the Fund Act would do — make a promise made be a promise kept.
CEA is bringing two buses filled with educators to Annapolis on March 19 because we know how important it is to lock up the gaming revenues for education. These funds will help support the Kirwan Commission’s recommendations of increasing staffing and planning time and to increase resources in our schools.
In the long run, we hope this will lead to increased teacher retention. We need young people to see the changes we are making in education so they will want to pursue a career with us in classrooms and schools.
I’m marching for my students, my co-workers, and my state. I want to see my students learning in classes with fewer students and more support staff. I want to see my co-workers making a wage that matches their worth and gives them the supports they need to do their jobs.
And I’m marching for my state — Maryland should have world-class schools that support the needs of all students and families.