The Kids Can't Wait

In Maryland, public school supporters rally for full funding of a landmark school finance plan. The message? A promise is a promise.

Photo by Sandy Schaeffer

Maybe it was a sign. As thousands of public education supporters jammed a crowded square outside the Maryland State House to demand full funding of the state's landmark school finance law, a statue of legendary jurist Thurgood Marshall loomed over the proceedings.

Marshall, lead attorney in the Brown v. Board of Education school desegregation case and renowned for his commitment to equal rights, no doubt would have seen the justice in the crowd's demands that all children attend schools that are adequately and equitably funded.

Two years ago, Maryland lawmakers approved the groundbreaking Thornton commission plan to equalize school spending and ensure that every student has access to an adequate public school education. Some of the $1.3 billion in new money will go to raise the per-pupil state aid in poorer districts; other dollars will go toward full-day kindergarten and preschool programs for disadvantaged students beginning in 2007.

But some politicians are now balking at fully funding the plan. Governor Robert Ehrlich's proposed budget would cut $47 million of Thornton funding, and he has plans to make up the state's revenue shortfall with legalized slot machine gambling.

That's why a crowd estimated at 12,000 teachers, education support professionals, parents, students, and community and union activists set out to shake up the State House in Annapolis in a nighttime rally February 9. Their goal? Making sure the politicians honor their commitment to funding equity.

Photo by Sandy Schaeffer

NEA President Reg Weaver spoke at the rally, drawing sustained cheers from the crowd when he thundered, "Can we afford to adequately and equitably fund public education? That's the wrong question. The question is: Can we afford not to?"

Pat Foerster, president of the Maryland State Teachers Association (which helped organize the rally), noted that in the last state election, "politicians from the governor on through the system made the promise to fully fund the Thornton legislation to give every child in Maryland a chance to compete [for high-tech jobs]. We're here to say...it's time to end the rhetoric. A promise is a promise."

The marchers, many of whom arrived in more than 200 buses from around the state, walked about a mile from the U.S. Naval Academy stadium to the State House. They toted homemade placards (such as one favorite: "Education = Homeland Security") and chanted slogans ("2-4-6-8, we need funds to educate").

Janet Baird, who teaches art to grades 1–5 in Howard County, Maryland, said failure to fully fund the Thornton plan "will affect every program that we're trying to implement with the students. The students are the important ones, and they're why we're here, but we're always the last ones to be thought about."

Baird carried a sign saying, "Cuts to education will leave every child behind," and the reference to the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) law was intentional. Baird and others said increased NCLB mandates without additional resources makes funding the Thornton plan even more critical.

The Baltimore Sun agreed. In an editorial published just prior to the rally, the Sun said that changes in the federal education law "heighten the demand for the type of school improvement that state money can buy," such as smaller class sizes, all-day kindergarten, preschool for poor children, better-trained teachers, and enrichment programs. The paper concluded that "the right thing to do hasn't changed."

Passing the Thornton plan was historic; fully funding it will ensure that generations of Maryland children reap its benefits. During his remarks to the crowd, Weaver beckoned to Marshall's statue and noted that this spring marks the 50th anniversary of the Brown v. Board of Education ruling. "We would best honor Thurgood Marshall's memory and the spirit of Brown by keeping the promise," Weaver said. "We should not be satisfied to only celebrate our history; we need to make our history....We haven't come this far to turn back now."

—John O'Neil

For more about the drive for equitable funding in Maryland.