January/February 2007
Fully funding Thornton is first step towards great
public schools for every child
Annapolis Report is a regular column in MSTA's ActionLine. It focuses on the legislative and policy activity at the State House as it affects students, public education and public education employees.  January/February 2007 December |
With new leadership in the Governor’s Mansion and many fresh faces in the General Assembly, MSTA will be using its new message, Great Public Schools are a Basic Right for Every Child, to help build support for our pro-public education agenda.
The message reflects the belief of our now 67,000-strong Association that all children have a basic right to attend a great public school, as well as our determination to work hard every day to make that happen.
Yet we know we can’t do it alone. Educators must be provided with all the tools and resources needed to give every student what they need to succeed, including smaller class sizes, up-to-date textbooks and materials, safe and modern facilities, quality professional development, and early childhood and after school programs.
One of MSTA’s top priorities for the upcoming legislative session is to fully fund the Bridge to Excellence in Public Schools Act (Thornton plan). Thanks in large part to MSTA’s efforts, the Assembly passed Thornton in 2002 with the goal of ensuring that all Maryland public schools receive an adequate and equitable level of funding. The additional $1.3 billion in state education aid has helped schools recruit and retain quality teachers, reduce class sizes, and provide special assistance to economically disadvantaged students, English language learners, and students with disabilities.
Now MSTA and dozens of other organizations in the Maryland Coalition for Excellent Schools will be pushing hard to fund the Geographic Cost of Education Index (GCEI), a critical component of the Thornton legislation. The GCEI recognizes the higher costs of living and working in 13 designated counties, which serve 86 percent of Maryland’s students. There were several bills in the General Assembly that, if passed, would have required then-Governor Bob Ehrlich to provide $72 million in funding the GCEI beginning in 2008. None of the bills passed the General Assembly.
Although his predecessor failed to support this important component of Thornton funding, Governor Martin O’Malley has promised to make funding the GCEI a top budget priority.
This year alone, funding the GCEI would mean $96 million more from the state to provide much-needed educational services in the 13 jurisdictions with a higher cost of living. If the GCEI is included in the 2008 budget, Anne Arundel County would receive an estimated $6.5 million; Baltimore County, $4 million; Montgomery County, $24 million; and Prince George’s County, $30 million. Smaller, more rural counties would receive additional funding as well. For example, Carroll County would receive nearly $2 million; Queen Anne’s, $407,000; and St. Mary’s, $159,000.
With Thornton funding increases scheduled to be phased in by next year, MSTA and its coalition partners will focus on expanding funding in other key education areas covered insufficiently or not at all under the current plan. Early childhood programs, gifted and talented programs, and preparing students to pass high school exams required for graduation are just some of the high-need areas.
With almost a quarter of state legislators newly elected, MSTA and its members will have much to do to lay the foundation for future progress on funding public education and creating Great Public Schools for Every Child.
