NEWS & UPDATES

Read the Maryland Coalition for Excellent Schools letter to the Governor about education funding and his budget deficit proposal

New Coalition Forms to Advocate for K-12 Improvements and Efforts to Boost Achievement

Gazette.net: HSA passage not a certainty, school officials say

WBAL: Group Worries Assessment Tests Impede Graduation

MCES Stresses Importance of Thornton Funding to Helping All Students and Urges Legislators to Meet Additional Needs

In light of recent reports on Thornton school funding, the Maryland Coalition for Excellent Schools (MCES), a broad-based coalition of 16 organizations, emphasizes that Maryland students have made real gains in performance as a result of the additional state aid, but that much more help is needed to ensure that all students receive a high-quality education.

The Thornton legislation, or Bridge to Excellence in Public Schools Act, was designed to create an education system where all students would see real progress in their academic performance. As the final year of its implementation approaches, it is evident that much improvement has been made in early childhood education, as indicated by rising elementary school test scores. However, because Thornton funding is being phased in over a six-year period, with the major installments coming in the final two years, many students at the middle and high school levels have not received the full benefit of an adequately funded school system.

As a result, MCES members are committed to working together and with Maryland 's public officials to address these challenges, beginning with this year's session of the General Assembly. The coalition has identified four key priorities for legislative action:

  1. securing the final year of mandated Thornton funding (included in the Governor's budget);
  2. fulfilling the intent of the Bridge to Excellence Act by fully funding the Geographic Cost of Education Index (GCEI) (HB391 and SB109/HB139);
  3. authorizing at least $400 million for school construction and renovation (included in the Governor's budget); and
  4. establishing a legislative task force to examine the policy and funding implications of the High School Assessments as a graduation requirement (SB475/HB994).