School Advocates Lobby North Baltimore Lawmakers

Ted Smith Jr., who has taught middle school Social Studies at Guilford Elementary and Middle School for 12 years, said the lack of capital funding for city public schools is sending his students a clear message. 

He said a school without an auditorium, which also has a portable classroom that has been in use since 1971, makes it painfully obvious to his students that they aren’t as important as children in wealthier suburban jurisdictions.

“A portable gives the impression you are being warehoused,” Smith said.

Smith was one of 136 students, teachers and residents the Baltimore Education Coalition organized to go to Annapolis on Monday to urge lawmakers to support bills they say are vital for school funding. 

Residents were supposed to meet with the delegates and senator from District 43 but only Del. Mary Washington was able to attend. 

During the meeting, Washington pledged her support to fight to keep the 1 percent inflation factor in the Thorton school funding formula, a bill to provide state block grants for school construction in Baltimore and legislation to leverage more bonds with funds from the city’s bottle tax.

Although education advocates oppose a to local jurisdictions, which is currently the responsibility of the state, Washington said there is no choice but to shift some of that liability.  Although she said she would not support it unless wealth equalization is taken into account.

But whatever the outcome in Annapolis this session, students such as Devon Edwards, an eighth grade student at The Barclay School, say their learning conditions are currently untenable.

Brown spoke during the meeting Monday night and described what his school experience has been like at his overcrowded and under supplied school.

“Some of the time it’s so cold that students have to keep their winter coats on [in the classroom],” Brown said.