Matthew Croson, Dan Hellerbach, Kevin Brooks,  and I attended last night’s meeting of the Baltimore Education Coalition.   After debriefing last week’s rally, we turned our attention to next steps.  Everyone agreed the rally was very effective in sending a clear message to our Senators and Delegates that we will not stand for cuts to education.  However, the legislative session is not over and the budget is not finalized.  So we have got to keep the pressure on.

There are three things each of us can do to protect the education budget:

1.  Call Senator Nathaniel McFadden’s office on Monday morning March 15th and tell him (or his staff) ”Support children in City Schools. Please do not cut

Baltimore City education funding in the Governor’s proposed budget.”  His number is (410) 841-3165. If it goes to voicemail, leave a message.  Senator McFadden is a member of the Budget and Taxation Committee, which is meeting tomorrow afternoon (March 15th) to review the Governor’s proposed budget and begin the process of making any changes. Despite Senator McFadden’s pledge on March 1st to protect education funding, the budget is still at risk. Friday’s headline in the Baltimore Sun was “Talk of Budget Cuts Escalates”.  Here is the article.  http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/legislature/bal-md.budget12mar12,0,932782.story We need Senator McFadden to know that the rally in Annapolis was just the beginning; we are staying on top of this issue through until the budget is approved.

2.  Write a letter to your Senator and Delegates.  If your legislator attended the rally on March 1st, thank them for attending and for pledging their support to protect education funding.  If they did not come, please tell them we missed seeing them at the rally but hope they will stand with the Baltimore Education Coalition and protect education funding.  Here is the website to learn who your legislators are and how to contact them. http://mdelect.net/electedofficials/

Attached are sample letters for each type of letter.

sample letter – did not attend rally

sample letter – attended rally

Here is the list of Senators and Delegates who attended the March 1st rally and pledged to protect education funding from cuts.  If your Senator or Delegates’ names do not appear below, they did not attend the rally and have not made a public pledge to protect education funding.

District 40 - Sen. Catherine Pugh, Del Barbara Robinson, Del. Shawn Tarrant

District 41 – Sen Lisa Gladden, Del Samuel Rosenberg

District 43 – Del Curt Anderson, Del. Maggie McIntosh

District 44 – Sen Verna Jones, Del. Keith Haynes, Del Melvin Stukes

District 45 – Sen Nathaniel McFadden, Del Cheryl Glenn

District 46 – Del Peter Hammen, Del Brian McHale

Shannen Coleman and Sue Fothergill, the Baltimore Education Coalition co-chairs, are going to hand deliver thank you notes to those Senators and Delegates who attended the rally.  If you would like to go with them to Annapolis on Tuesday or Wednesday of this week to deliver the letters, please email them directly at baltimoreedcoalition@gmail.com.

3.  Attend a Friday morning Baltimore City Delegation meeting in Annapolis.  The Baltimore City Delegation (the Senators and Delegates who represent districts in Baltimore City) meets every Friday morning in Annapolis at 9:30am.  The meeting is open and anyone is welcome to attend.  Our goal is to have at least 2 representatives from the Baltimore Education Coalition attend the meeting every Friday.  All you have to do is introduce yourself and state that you are attending the meeting as a representative of the BEC. No additional speaking is required. Your presence alone is enough to send a strong message to the City Delegation that we are paying attention and will not allow any last minute cuts to the education budget.   If you would like to travel down to Annapolis for one of these meetings, please let me know.

Thanks for your continued support of our children and their education.

Elizabeth Reichelt