It’s Been a Very Good Year

A message from MSEA President Cheryl Bost and MSEA Executive Director David Helfman.

Despite the Supreme Court decision attacking unions through the elimination of agency fees, MSEA’s membership didn’t shrink — it increased. More than 8,500 members and supporters marched in Annapolis for school funding, leading to state lawmakers pumping $1.1 billion dollars into our schools for expanded pre-k and community schools, increases special education funding, and higher teacher salaries.

And when the General Assembly voted to add a classroom teacher to the State Board of Education for the second consecutive year, the governor decided it was futile to veto the legislation again and instead allowed it to become law without his signature. That’s a big win.

Thanks to the activism of leaders, members, staff, coalition partners, and pro-public education legislators, we witnessed many wins for public education at the state and local levels. But we don’t have the luxury of sitting back and resting on our laurels because there is still much to accomplish.

MSEA officers and staff recently began to map out a strategic planning process that will culminate with the development of our 2020–2022 MSEA budget, scheduled to be adopted at the Spring 2020 Representative Assembly.

In the coming months, we will be reaching out to MSEA and local leaders, members, and staff for your input into this process as we tackle big questions such as:

• How do we address the increasing behavior and discipline issues in many classrooms?
• What impact might the Kirwan Commission’s recommendations for changes in teacher preparation, certification, and compensation have on our membership?
• How do we grow our ESP ranks and organize statewide to increase wages and enhance job protections?
• How will we support members working in schools identified in need of support under ESSA?

We want to hear from you! Look for opportunities to share what’s on your mind in the months ahead.