Issue Position: Strong Schools, Strong Students

Issue Position

Mary believes that our most important investments must be in our young people. From early childhood programs to higher education, schools should be safe and inspiring places to learn and serve their communities. She will fight for full and stable funding for our public schools, teacher salaries and pensions, and post-secondary institutions.

In the 2012 session, Mary co-sponsored the Higher Education Workforce Equity Act (HB 972), which provides collective bargaining rights to tenured or tenure-track faculty, adjunct faculty, and graduate students in specified public institutions of higher education. After the University System of Maryland announced a "meet and confer" process in response to the legislation, the bill was pulled from the Senate.

Mary co-sponsored the Baltimore City -- School Construction -- Block Grant (HB 304) that would provide Baltimore City schools with a specified block grant for construction each year. While the bill has been stalled, its potential impact is scheduled for study before the 2013 Session.

Mary co-sponsored Education -- Age for Compulsory Public School Attendance -- Exemptions (HB 373), which changes the age one must attend public school regularly from 16 to 17. This bill passed in the House with a vote of 88-49 and received a favorable report in the Senate, although a vote was not taken.

Mary co-sponsored Education -- Task Force to Explore Incorporating the Subject of Agriculture in Existing Curricular Areas (HB 680), promoting and incorporating education about sustainable agriculture into science curricula. This bill became law on May 22, 2012.

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