Have you heard about the cuts to federal education funding, but aren’t sure how it will impact your students? Did you know that AACPS is set to lose $4.2 million in federal funds that they expected to receive this month? While that might not seem like the largest impact to the operating budget, the effects will most directly be felt by our multilingual learners starting this fall. We’ll also lose out on professional development opportunities ourselves.
This comes at the same time as the passage of the recent budget bill that attacks our working families who rely on SNAP and Medicaid for food security and healthcare, and attacks public education by creating the first national voucher program. This bill also includes a cap to student loans, which will prevent our students from applying for the schools of their choice and prevent them from achieving their desired career paths. Additionally, this week, the Suicide Prevention Hotline stopped including specific support for LGBTQ+ youth, and the Supreme Court is allowing the dismantling of the Department of Education to proceed by the continued firing of federal staff.
There’s one action you can take this week to speak up against these attacks on public education and marginalized members of our community: attend the Good Trouble March and Rally here in Annapolis this Thursday, July 17. We will be speaking at the rally on the importance of protecting public services and public employees like educators. Can you be there?
By showing up and speaking up in solidarity, we know that we win. We see that through our state-wide advocacy of the ESP Bill of Rights. Over this last year, your TAAAC colleagues on the Government Relations Committee advocated for the passage of the Davis Martinez Public Employee Safety and Health Act, which is part of the 10 point ESP Bill of Rights platform, calling for improved safety conditions for educators. This legislation was just signed into law by Governor Moore to establish better workplace safety protections for all public sector employees.
Last week, a cohort of TAAAC members attended the NEA Zone 1 Organizing Conference with teams from the northeast region in Annapolis (see photo at top of the full group!). This conference included a door-knocking opportunity in Anne Arundel County to gain support for the ESP Bill of Rights. We might have knocked on your door!
Keep reading for other important updates and opportunities:
