OPPORTUNITY • EQUITY • PAY

Read MSEA’s 4-point gameplan to fulfill Maryland’s promise to students, educators, schools, and communities.

Dramatic salary increases leading to parity between teachers and professionals with similar educational backgrounds. Living wages for ESP. Increased time for planning and collaboration. A locally-negotiated career ladder that gives educators an opportunity to make administrator-level pay without leaving classrooms. Expanded pre-kindergarten, career-technical education, and community schools.

We could see these transformational changes in our schools as soon as 2019. How? See the timeline below and We have four unprecedented opportunities ahead:

  1. We build on the preliminary recommendations of the Kirwan Commission on school funding;
  2. We make as much progress as possible on advancing increased funding during the 2018 legislative session;
  3. We elect politicians in November who will strongly advocate for more funding; and
  4. We pass a new school funding formula that raises the bar on funding during the 2019 legislative session.

MSEA’s 4–Point Gameplan

  1. Get Kirwan Right We’ve said it over and over again: the conditions educators work in and witness every day confirm the $2.9 billion in annual underfunding identified by state analysts in 2016.

We’ve already made good progress raising educators’ voices about how underfunding affects them. More than 15,000 MSEA members attended building meetings and shared their funding priorities, which MSEA shared directly with the Commission. On the list? Salary, staffing levels, planning time, and community schools.The Commission will take the next several months to get into the weeds and develop final recommendations that the legislature will consider in 2019.

What you can do: Stay connected to MSEA and speak out on specific policies so leaders can advocate for them. Make sure your legislators hear from you about the importance of adopting strong recommendations from the Commission.

2. Progress in Annapolis in 2018 Yes, we have to wait until next year for the Commission’s final recommendations to be debated in Annapolis, but that gives us time and opportunity to make sure legislators really understand what’s at stake. Look for MSEA to push legislators to prep for the 2019 debate by identifying funding sources for a new funding formula. We’ll also work to build public and legislator consensus on the policies the Commission is expected to recommend.

What you can do: Text MSEA to 84693 to get breaking news and action alerts during session and save the date for MSEA’s big education funding march in Annapolis on Monday, March 19.

The Tipping Point: Solving the Staffing and Salary Crisis in Maryland Schools
After years of understaffing, it has finally culminated in an adverse effect on student learning.mseanewsfeed.com

3. If You Won’t Support Our Schools, You Won’t Have Our Vote Passing increased school funding means the lawmakers who come to Annapolis in 2019 — legislators and the governor — must be prepared to vote in support of a sweeping change in how we fund our schools. At the local level, it means boards of education, county councils and commissions, and county executives must support increased funding and use it to support students and educators.

What you can do: Connect with your local association to find out how you can support local education-friendly candidates.

4. The 2019 Legislative Session: A Game-changer The 2019 General Assembly will debate and vote on the Kirwan Commission’s final recommendations — including revisions to the state school funding formula to address the $2.9 billion in underfunding. This will be our biggest and best opportunity in years to create long-lasting, generational change to our schools.

What you can do: Join the large-scale mobilization of educators, parents, and public education supporters to call on legislators in Annapolis to seize the moment and meaningfully increase school funding.