The Maryland Coalition for Excellent Schools

For Immediate Release

New Coalition Forms to Advocate for K-12 Improvements and Efforts to Boost Achievement; The Maryland Coalition for Excellent Schools (MCES) Includes Advocates, School Boards, Teachers, Parents, Superintendents, and Others

Annapolis, MD — Friday, February 9, 2007

A broad array of groups concerned with K-12 education today announced the creation of a new statewide coalition that will work to generate support for the policies and funding needed to raise the performance level of Maryland students, provide adequate school facilities, and improve teacher quality. The Maryland Coalition for Excellent Schools (MCES) includes 16 organizations representing parents, school boards, teachers, principals, superintendents, advocates, business leaders, and others.

The groups came together out of concern that despite major new state investments in education in recent years, the outlook for many children in Maryland 's public schools remains cloudy. When Maryland 's Bridge to Excellence in Public Schools Act is fully implemented next year, state aid to public schools will have grown by $1.3 billion over a six-year period.

However, since passage of the Bridge to Excellence Act in 2002, the federal No Child Left Behind law has imposed new mandates on schools, and Maryland education officials have gone even further in requiring students to pass a series of assessments to graduate from high school. Progress toward meeting the new mandates and requirements is at best uneven.

“Especially for poor and minority students, achievement still lags far behind goals,” said former State Senator

Barbara Hoffman, who was the lead Senate sponsor of the Bridge to Excellence Act and now represents the American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland before the legislature. “The Bridge to Excellence Act moved us forward, but there's a long way to go,” she added.

“We believe there's strength in numbers, and each of these partners has an important role,” said John Woolums, director of governmental relations for the Maryland Association of Boards of Education. “That's why we've banded together.”

Maryland's state constitution guarantees a “thorough and efficient” education to all students. New funds have been directed to both school construction and operating costs, but the need for adequate resources and effective strategies remains great. “Teachers and support staff are on the front lines,” said Betty Weller, vice president of the Maryland State Teachers Association, “and we know there are many challenges yet to be met.”

As many as 25,000 students, out of a cohort of 63,000, are at risk of failing one or more of the High School Assessments (HSAs), which will be required for graduation in 2009, and, therefore, not receiving a diploma. “There is a looming crisis, and it's about failing to offer children what they require to learn and succeed,” said Mark Woodard, education policy director at Advocates for Children and Youth. Although the problem exists across the state and for every category of student, there is a persistent achievement gap between white students and their poor or minority counterparts, he noted.

To grapple with these challenges, MCES has endorsed the following legislative agenda for the 2007 session of the Maryland General Assembly:

Fully fund the final year of implementation of the Bridge to Excellence in Public Schools Act
Fully fund the Geographic Cost of Education Index
Authorize at least $400 million for school construction and renovation projects
Establish a legislative task force to examine the policy and funding implications of the High School
Assessments as a graduation requirement

“As parents, we know our children do not have an even shot in life if they do not receive an excellent education,” said Rick Tyler, speaking for the Maryland PTA. “The State of Maryland is one of the wealthiest in the nation.

We must do a better job investing in our children's futures by ensuring each child has adequate, equitable access to a high quality education that allows them to meet their unique potential.”