Following the vote by the Anne Arundel County Board of Education approving the FY25 Operating Budget, TAAAC President Nicole Disney-Bates released the following statement:
“When the Board of Education put forward their amendments to the FY25 budget, TAAAC members felt their voices were heard loud and clear. They increased wages, equity with stipends for all educators, and intentional funding for additional related service provider positions were a sign to AACPS educators that they are valued. We are excited for the progress that the Board of Education made in approving the wage increase in the budget.
“However, our work is not over. It was disappointing to see certain members of the school board demonstrate an abject lack of knowledge of the key roles that literacy teachers, Speech Language Pathologists, Counselors, social workers, psychologists, perform within the system. These individuals play an integral part of student growth and success. The individuals in these key positions, should be praised for their hard work and provided the staffing supports necessary to remain in Anne Arundel County.
“We can not overstate the importance of both the county and the state working together to support equity in the implementation of Blueprint. All jobs in the system are important and those with National Board Certification should be provided with the equitable distribution of funds. We implore the legislature to address the inequity and expand the definitions within Blueprint.
“We will continue our advocacy to protect educator benefits, retain and recruit dedicated educators in this county, and settle a fair contract for our members. We look forward to continuing our advocacy at the County level to secure a fully funded public education budget.”
