Educators Congratulate New Maryland Speaker Joseline Peña-Melnyk
Today the House of Delegates elected Del. Joseline Peña-Melnyk (D-Prince George’s and Anne Arundel) to serve as their next speaker. Howard County high school social studies teacher and Maryland State Education Association President Paul Lemle released the following statement:
“Maryland educators congratulate Speaker Peña-Melnyk on her historic election. Her leadership will position the House of Delegates to continue the progress being made to give every student a world-class public education and to lift up the most vulnerable Marylanders in our communities.
“We look forward to partnering with Speaker Peña-Melnyk to build on the work of Speaker Jones in improving resources for our public schools and opportunities for our students. As Maryland faces the challenges of chaotic and destructive budget actions from Washington, D.C., Speaker Peña-Melnyk will be a forceful leader to make sure that Marylanders—and the schools and services that we depend on—are protected and supported.”
Speaker Peña-Melnyk will bring a unique and valuable perspective about education and equity as an immigrant and the first of her family to attend college. She has been a strong supporter of priority issues for Maryland educators over the years, voting for the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future (2019), with its focus on equitable investment in all students; the Built to Learn Act (2020) and its emphasis on safe, modern schools across the state; the More Learning, Less Testing Act (2017) and the Protect Our Schools Act (2017), which reduced time spent on standardized testing; and many other pro-education and pro-worker bills. Speaker Peña-Melnyk has repeatedly earned MSEA’s endorsement during previous election cycles.