Why we support city schools

Many Marylanders cannot fathom why my husband and I choose to raise our family in Baltimore considering the city’s school struggles and the high crime rate. The list of negatives can be long depending on your perspective.

But one day, our almost 2-year-old son will get asked Smalltimore’s favorite question of where he went to school. We hope he can proudly say that his alma mater is a city school such as Poly, just like his grandfather.

From where we’re looking in South Baltimore, all we see is possibility. Within blocks of our front stoop, there are multiple urban parks and pools, the Inner Harbor, a library, countless family attractions, community centers and restaurants. We look forward to introducing our son to our city which is full of quirks, grit and creativity.

Most importantly, we’re blessed with an involved, caring and fun community. Our family calendar gets booked up quickly with summer park concerts, pizza in the park gatherings, block parties and holiday traditions. We have helping hands with groceries, instantaneous plumber recommendations, fellow snow shovelers to collectively dig out our alley and even an outdoor play space entirely set up and maintained by local families. We love that our son can experience what life is like when neighbors regularly celebrate together and support each other.

We’re thrilled that our in-zone school, Federal Hill Prep, is one of the city schools most dedicated to diversity and excellence, as identified by the Thurgood Marshall Alliance. We are not here by accident.

Our family is firmly committed to Baltimore. We will be attending Downtown Baltimore Family Alliance’s (DBFA) rally for Baltimore school funding on March 4 to ask for that same kind of investment in return — from the state, the city and all parties involved.

Benjamin Franklin observed, “An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.” We ask for a real and comprehensive investment in Baltimore’s children, and in doing so, Baltimore’s future.