On the issues: Education
The Democratic candidates all say they want to be the education governor, but most of them are advocating extremely similar policies. Who’s got the best plan?
Our view:
dropout rate has declined, and teacher retention and test scores have gone up. But his record there is tarnished by a series of scandals in the Prince George’s schools, including unauthorized pay raises for district central office staff and graduation rate fraud.
Mr. Shea is probably the most dogged among the candidates in seeking to tarnish Governor Hogan’s record on education, for example, pointing out that growth in education spending has lagged slightly behind growth in general government spending in recent years, a situation he pledges to reverse. Like the others, Mr. Shea subscribes to the policy prescriptions of the Kirwan Commission in terms of providing more resources for early childhood education, elevating the status of the teaching profession and the quality of teachers, ensuring that a high school diploma signifies college or career readiness and embracing new accountability measures. His emphasis on summer and after-school learning opportunities for disadvantaged students is important.
If you’re looking for the candidate who’s most fluent in the issues raised by Kirwan and the context of how they’ll play out in the General Assembly, that’s Senator Madaleno. He not only serves on the commission but has been at the center of debates about education policy and, particularly, funding during his General Assembly career. He knows far better than the other candidates what’s going to be easy to pass and what will be controversial. That sense of what’s possible might hurt him in the campaign (he is less apt than other candidates to make big promises and instead focuses on his record of accomplishment) but it would certainly help him if he is elected governor.
Those concerned about school safety should consider Ms. Vignarajah. In addition to highlighting Kirwan-related ideas, she has an extensive set of policy proposals for keeping kids out of harm’s way, ranging from the design of school buildings to a greater emphasis onmental health. She displays a holistic understanding of the issue, connecting it with bullying (online and in person), inadequate gun laws, outmoded technology and poor coordination between school officials and police. Separately, she suggests that Maryland consider issuing social impact bonds so the state can pay over time for programs with high long-term returns on investment, such as early childhood education. It’s an idea worth exploring.
Mr. Jealous offers the most specifics in terms of what he’s promising and how he would pay for it. He pledges to give teachers a 29 percent raise over four years (did we mention the teachers union endorsement?) and has done the math to figure out exactly what it would cost. He would pay for universal pre-K by legalizing recreational use of marijuana by adults. Recognizing the significant ramp-up time to full Kirwan funding, Mr. Jealous says he would direct initial increased allocations to schools with a higher degree of socio-economic need and add supports for more affluent schools later. He also provides a strong set of ideas related to students with special needs and for providing more mental health services in schools.
Butedging himoutforthemostcomprehensiveandfar-reaching set of education proposals is Mr. Ross, a former Baltimore City middle school teacher. His best known education promise is universal computercodingclasses for all public school students, but that’s not the only way he goes beyond Kirwan. He includes proposals for reforming the school construction process in Maryland to improve equity; gifted and talented programs in underserved communities; improving the quality of child care (pre-pre-K, if you will); online access to AP, foreign language and advanced science, technology, engineering and math classes for rural communities; and merit pay for teachers. Mr. Ross is not unique in his focus on apprenticeships and vocational training, but his vision for the role they can play in creating a 21st century workforce is the most thoroughly developed.