Issue Position: Education and School Facilities

Issue Position

We have nearly $3 billion in unmet needs facing Maryland schools at this time. According to Feb. 8, 2018 USA Today article, Maryland dedicates 3.7% of its taxable resources to education, higher than the nationwide average of 3.3% among states. However, Maryland has the highest median household income in the country ($78,945/year) and could afford to dedicate more to K-12 education. I do believe Maryland should spend more money per pupil but that it should also spend money more wisely, targeting it to hire more classroom teachers to keep pace with the growth in student population and add more paraprofessional support staff, media specialists and school counselors. Smaller class sizes and highly qualified teachers really do boost student achievement. The Kirwan Commission is due to recommend ways to close the education funding gap in mid-2018, but I would begin with treating the Education Trust Fund as a lockbox that cannot be raided and to adopt the proposal announced by Democratic state legislators in January to dedicate $500 million in gaming revenue to education on top of the baseline schools budget.

As a resident of a county in which 62% of public school children are living below the poverty level, I am very much in favor of community schools. Public school buildings are often the center of communities and natural gathering places for neighborhood meetings, civic activities such as Scouting, social events, extended learning opportunities and more. Bringing in community partners and adding a full-time coordinator to support children, families and seniors with added services and programs makes sense from an economic, social and cultural standpoint. Community schools can function as combination social services, recreational and senior centers that most low income neighborhoods lack.

I support increasing the school construction floor in the capital budget from $350 million to $700 million. We need to think creatively about CIP funding to possibly include a P3 approach that allows private companies to build or substantially renovate and maintain schools at a lower cost. There would have to be controls to ensure fair and competitive bidding and quality construction materials and methods.

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