Press Room
Educators Urge Gov. Hogan to Withdraw School Board Nomination
"While we have concerns with many of Gov. Hogan’s appointments to the State Board of Education—of whom, only one of ten has any experience working in a Maryland public school—we do not usually object to their confirmation. But considering Mr. Cooper’s consistent disregard for state law and his complete lack of experience with Maryland public schools and education policy, Maryland’s educators have no choice but to urge Gov. Hogan to withdraw his misguided selection," said MSEA Director of Legislative Affairs Sean Johnson.
House of Delegates Passes Less Testing, More Learning Act
“Educators across the state of Maryland applaud the House of Delegates for their leadership in addressing our over-testing crisis. For years, elected officials and school leaders have waited while test after test piled up on the desks of teachers and students, narrowing curriculum and erasing instruction time. This unanimous vote today sends a strong signal that educator voices have been heard and the time for waiting is over. We now turn our attention to the Senate as we work to put in place a commonsense, reasonable safeguard against over-testing," said MSEA President Betty Weller.
Hogan’s Alternative Facts on Charter Schools
Today, Gov. Hogan announced a set of proposals that would undermine the strong protections against fraud, waste, and abuse in Maryland’s charter school law.
MSEA Statement on Gov. Hogan's Private School Voucher Proposal
"Maryland educators are deeply frustrated by Gov. Hogan’s proposal to drain twice as many resources from our public schools to subsidize private schools. The governor’s alliance with President-elect Donald Trump—who has proposed the idea of using $20 billion in taxpayer money for private school vouchers—on privatizing our public schools should be alarming to every Marylander who believes in the importance of public education," said MSEA President Betty Weller.
Maryland Educators Endorse Chris Van Hollen for U.S. Senate
"Whether it was passing Maryland’s nationally-recognized school funding formula as a state senator or moving the landmark Every Student Succeeds Act through a gridlocked Congress, Chris has always gotten big victories for working families at every stage of his public service," said MSEA President Betty Weller.
MSEA Statement on Gov. Hogan’s Labor Day School Mandate
"When it comes to our public schools, there’s one word that Gov. Hogan thinks of: cuts. Cuts to school funding, cuts to the school year—he prioritizes cuts over developing real, detailed strategies to reduce over-testing, close achievement gaps, and expand proven reforms like pre-kindergarten, after-school programs, and community schools."
Sen. Madaleno, ACLU of Maryland, and Educators Call on Gov. Hogan to Withhold Funding for Private Schools
Earlier this week, the governor claimed the state is facing declining revenues in deciding to withhold $25 million that had been set aside for public schools, yet did not decide to hold back funding reserved for private schools. Sen. Madaleno, ACLU, and MSEA asked the governor to instead send the $5 million in taxpayer dollars to public schools to offset some of the damage from the cuts Gov. Hogan made earlier this week.
MSEA Statement on Gov. Hogan’s Political Decision to Withhold School Funding (Again)
Gov. Hogan’s office announced he would be withholding approximately $80 million included in the General Assembly’s bipartisan FY2017 budget—including $25 million for public schools. This is the second consecutive year that Gov. Hogan has made the unilateral decision to withhold funding from schools.
MSEA Statement on Testing Commission Report
"This is an important step in helping to reduce over-testing for our students. While educators are disappointed that the Commission process did not result in more immediate and far-reaching recommendations to lessen the time and resources spent on mandated assessments, we are encouraged by several of the ideas proposed and are eager to work with local school systems to put them into action," said MSEA President Betty Weller.
MSEA Statement on New Maryland Superintendent of Schools
"The Maryland State Education Association congratulates Karen Salmon on her selection as Maryland’s next state superintendent of schools. Maryland’s teachers and education support professionals look forward to working closely with Dr. Salmon to improve resource equity, close opportunity gaps, and reduce and improve standardized testing so that all of our students have a chance at a great public education," said MSEA President Betty Weller.
