MSTA and school advocates press for sustained funding
A local TV news station called it “a preemptive strike—a message from school leaders to Annapolis saying we know times are tough, but please, try to leave the schools alone.”
That message was very clear at a press conference Monday when President Clara Floyd urged state and local elected officials to continue funding public education at current levels, even as they struggle to balance budgets compromised by the economic downturn
Floyd was joined at the kick off of American Education Week by Dr. Andrés Alonso, CEO of the Baltimore city schools, and speakers from the Baltimore Teachers Union, Maryland PTA, Maryland Association of Boards of Education, and Maryland ACLU. Learn more
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Baltimore County celebrates Education Support Professionals Day
Teachers, as well as county and state leaders, donned aprons Wednesday to serve breakfast to support professionals at Ridge Ruxton Middle School to celebrate Education Support Professionals Day in Baltimore County.
The event was one of several slated for the Baltimore County Instructional Assistants and Clerical Employees’ (BACE) public relations campaign to raise awareness about ESP contributions to public schools. The campaign, supported in part by MSTA, also includes a 30-second cable TV spot featuring the county ESP of the Year, radio interviews, and an editorial in the Patuxent newspapers.
Read the press release
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MSTA speaks out on health care for all
Vice President Betty Weller and representatives of other organizations advocating for quality, affordable health care last week welcomed five Maryland members of Congress to the broad coalition supporting the national Health Care for America Now campaign. Weller noted that Maryland ranks a disappointing 31st in the nation in the number of uninsured children, who often suffer greater difficulty learning because of illnesses, lack of proper dental or eye care, and frequent absences due to health reasons.
“Health insurance that provides timely and adequate health care treatment will strengthen families and help to reduce some of the barriers that children and educators face as together they pursue a quality education,” Weller said.
MSTA is the 70,000-member Maryland affiliate of the National
Education Association (NEA). NEA represents over 3.2 million public education
teachers, support professionals, retired educators, school administrators, higher
education faculty, and future educators.
© 2008 Maryland State Teachers Association