Issue Position: Improving Every School

Issue Position

Emily Shetty and her husband have made Montgomery County home because we have some of the best schools in the world.

To make sure all of Montgomery County's schools live up to this standard, Emily proposes a three part plan:

1. Provide universal, high-quality pre-school;

2. Equip schools with wrap-around support services; and

3. Move from an earmark system of school construction funding to a fair formula that accounts for projected growth in the county and provides Montgomery County with the resources we need.

Though Montgomery County as a whole is fortunate to have excellent schools, children of low-income and vulnerable families are falling behind before they begin kindergarten. Providing access to high-quality pre-school is one crucial step to help reduce the educational achievement gap. As a mother with a child in pre-school currently, Emily is acutely aware of the high cost families pay for high quality programs. Studies have shown that children who attend high quality pre-school are more likely to graduate from high school, attend college, and earn higher wages as adults.

When students are in elementary, middle and secondary school, we must ensure that they have access to the wrap-around support services necessary for them to succeed. By providing schools with adequate resources to hire counselors, psychologists and social workers, students will be able to access the services they need and teachers can do what they do best -- teach our children.

As our school buildings have aged, Montgomery County has seen a surge in enrollment of students in our public school system. Today, Montgomery County educates more than 151,000 students -- nearly 18 percent of the entire state's public school students -- yet we receive a significantly smaller percentage of state school construction funding. Emily would advocate for a fair formula that distributes the state school construction dollars across jurisdictions with the highest need, and includes as part of its evaluation, the projected growth expected in the county. We can't expect students to learn at their best when the roof is leaking and bathrooms are inadequate.

In Annapolis, Emily will make sure every Montgomery County school has the resources to provide a world-class education for all children.

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