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Maryland is fortunate to have strong schools, educators, stakeholders, and parents dedicated to ensuring every student has the opportunity to succeed. We are also fortunate for the tremendous work of the Kirwan Commission and the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, which Wes advocated for and testified in support of. This historic legislation has already set Maryland on a path to future success and will enable us to break down long-standing inequities. Now is the time to continue the progress we have made to fully fund and implement the Blueprint because from cradle to career, education is one of the key pillars for Marylanders to access jobs, higher wages, and the opportunity to build wealth that can be passed on to their children.
Wes will always make education a top priority. He will work closely with local leaders, educators, parents, and community organizations to address our most pressing challenges. As governor, Wes will:
- Ensure Maryland’s Blueprint for Education is fully funded and implemented and provide dedicated funding for the Blueprint’s Accountability and Implementation Board to assess progress and provide technical support to localities.
- Support educators, paraeducators, and ESPs by strengthening collective bargaining, expanding innovative teacher mentorship programs, raising wages, and building new pipelines to the workforce.
- Make child care and early childhood education more affordable and accessible by fully funding and streamlining the Child Care Scholarship fund, ensuring every child in need has access to free pre-k, and growing the early childhood workforce.
- Set students up for success by investing in 21st Century Schools, reinstating Maryland’s Governor’s Office for Children, and closing the digital divide.
- Tackle disrupted learning and position students for success by increasing funding for afterschool and summer programs, tutoring, and more.
- Prioritize students’ social/emotional well-being by expanding community schools, increasing the number of ESPs in our schools, and ensuring schools adopt inclusive, trauma-informed policies and practices.
- Combat the school-to-prison pipeline by reinstating the Commission on the School-to-Prison Pipeline, implementing restorative practices, preventing school resource officers from engaging in disciplinary decisions, and eliminating disorderly conduct as a criminal charge in schools.
- Prepare students for good-paying jobs by expanding access to CTE programs and offerings, investing in dual enrollment and apprenticeship programs, driving students into STEM fields, and implementing a Service Year Option program for high school graduates.