“Governor O’Malley’s strong record of investing in our students and top-ranked schools continues with the budget he introduced today,” said MSEA President Betty Weller. “In Governor O’Malley’s eight years in office, we’ve seen an incredible investment of more than $45 billion in our public schools—and the results have been outstanding. From leading the nation in AP scores to the narrowing of the poverty achievement gap, from expanding school breakfast programs to raising the high school graduation rate, our students have benefited greatly from Governor O’Malley’s forward-looking investments. We’re also encouraged by the increased funding going towards pre-k in this budget, and look forward to working with elected officials on how to best expand Maryland’s pre-k program and establish a long-term, sustainable funding source for this proven initiative.”