Newsroom

Newsroom

Fight for $15 Advances in the House

THIS WEEK IN ANNAPOLIS House Passes $15 Minimum Wage Bill That Would Boost ESP Pay This morning, the House of Delegates passed their version of a $15 minimum wage bill, 96–44, that has been prioritized by Democratic leadership this session. The legislation (HB 166), as amended by the House Economic Matters Committee, would gradually increase the […]

Newsroom

Marylanders Agree: Schools Are Underfunded

THIS WEEK IN ANNAPOLIS Goucher Poll: 64% of Marylanders Say Schools Are Underfunded Maryland received fresh public opinion data on a range of issues this week with the release of the latest Goucher Poll. Maryland residents were once again asked if they think the state spends too little, too much, or about the right amount […]

Newsroom

Kirwan Report Released

THIS WEEK IN ANNAPOLIS MSEA Officially Announces March for Our Schools On Wednesday, MSEA President Cheryl Bost was joined by dozens of educator leaders and public education advocates in officially announcing the March for Our Schools. The press conference, held at MSEA’s headquarters, drew extensive coverage and helped get out the word about the upcoming event. […]

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Empowering Teacher Voice

THIS WEEK IN ANNAPOLIS Senate Moves to Give Autonomy Back to Districts on School Calendars Earlier this week, Democrats on the Senate Education, Health, and Environmental Affairs (EHEA) Committee advanced legislation (SB 128) to return autonomy over school calendar decisions to local school boards, reversing Gov. Hogan’s 2016 post-Labor Day school start executive order. The […]
Education Support Professionals

Latest Updates

Why the March for Our Schools Matters for Education Support Professionals

Hiring thousands more educators so students get more individualized support. Expanding career technical education and pre-kindergarten. Pay raises for teachers and certificated staff. There’s a lot to like in the state’s plan for what a new school funding formula could support. But we need to do more — specifically for education support professionals (ESP), the non-certificated school […]
School Funding

Newsroom

State of the State Tops Another Busy Week in Annapolis

(Photo credit: Executive Office of the Governor) THIS WEEK IN ANNAPOLIS Nothing New in Hogan’s State of the State Despite teasing a new major tax cut proposal earlier in the week, Gov. Hogan announced no new policy proposals in his annual State of the State speech before the General Assembly. Instead, he touted an already-proposed package […]
Education Support Professionals

Latest Updates

We Need an ESP Living Wage Now!

FACT: 24,700 education support professionals (ESP) in Maryland DO NOT make a living wage — that’s one-fifth of Maryland’s pre-K–12 staff. FACT: Starting in 2018, a living wage in Maryland’s suburban counties was $13.96/per hour; everywhere else, $10.49. FACT: Many education support staff work two or three extra jobs to provide for their families. In 2018, Jill […]
Teacher Toolkit

Actionline

Toolkit: Washington County Pre-K Educator Melissa Andrews

“When we add puppets into play-based learning, the child uses role-playing strategies as a way to communicate with their peers. It also allows them to practice using reflective listening as a way of seeking to understand and confirm their point of view.” — Melissa Andrews, a pre-k teacher at Old Forge Elementary School in Washington County PUPPETS […]
School Funding

Actionline

School Funding: We’ve Got to Push — and Push Hard — to Reach Our Goal

We’ve taken the first important steps to end the underfunding of our schools. This year, we need a powerful commitment from legislators to take the next steps. The Kirwan Commission on school funding has set a goal of phasing in a $3.8 billion increase in new, annual education funding over the next 10 years. While […]
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