Betty Weller: We’re Making the Connections on School Funding, Student Services, and Student Success

I’ve been travelling the state over the last month to meet with members and talk about the opportunity we have to improve school funding through the recommendations of the Kirwan Commission. This is a chance to improve the future success of our schools and the resources available to students and educators.

I want to thank the hundreds of educators I’ve met — and the thousands who have participated in building meetings on Kirwan — for sharing your ideas on what needs to be prioritized by the commission. We are carrying your voice and perspective on issues like salary, class and caseload size, pre-k, career and technical education, and community schools to decision-makers on the commission and in the legislature.

But we can only make your ideas reality through effective mobilizing. So, to the hundreds of members who showed up and spoke out at public commission hearings in Stevensville, Frederick, Baltimore, and Largo — thank you. Your activism during this critical moment will benefit you and your students.

But we also need to focus on what’s happening every day in every school where students are facing serious emotional traumas and social constraints that hinder their learning. It’s no secret: we need more resources and staffing for mental health support for these student

To access these resources and the opportunity to receive funding exclusively available to MSEA members in Title I schools, visit firstbook.org/MSEA. I hope these resources are useful to you, your students, and their parents as we continue to fight for solutions that will reach every family in every community through the education funding our schools deserve.