While it's important to continue the conversation of what innovations can improve teaching and learning in our schools over the long term ("Staying ahead of the game," Sept. 7), we must make sure that this conversation includes the immediate school funding challenges that threaten our ability to maintain the quality of schools and school facilities that Marylanders have come to expect, let alone to implement ambitious new programs.
Funding for our schools is under threat from several quarters. Last minute legislative changes to Maintenance of Effort (MOE), long at the heart of protecting school funding, have allowed local governments to dramatically lower their support for education, threatening the delicate state/local funding partnership and the continued high quality of our schools. A broken MOE law puts our children's education at risk by opening the door to $2.6 billion — that's no typo — in local education cuts.
At the same time, some legislators continue to advocate for fiscally irresponsible shifts of teacher retirement costs to the counties. Such shifts are tantamount to a huge cut in education funding, creating far more problems than they solve. Locals are poorly positioned to absorb the extra costs, meaning that such shifts would set the stage for sharp increases in class size, reduced programs and services, and more than 2,800 layoffs.
Over the last five years, more than $5 billion in state budget cuts have ensured that we've all shared sacrifices to weather the tough economy — and our schools have tightened their belts despite increasing enrollments and demands for services. We agree with Gov. Martin O'Malley that we cannot move Maryland forward with a cuts-only approach that sacrifices the important investments we've made in our schools and children's future. Rather, a balanced approach will protect the investments we've made and the priorities we hold dear.
Great public schools are the foundation of a strong economy, strong communities, and strong families. We must continue the conversation of how we can keep improving teaching and learning. But we also must protect the investment in our schools to ensure that all of our children have access to the high quality education that they deserve.
Clara Floyd,Annapolis
The writer is president of the Maryland State Education Association.