I have fought alongside my Democratic colleagues to make college more affordable by freezing tuition and limiting tuition increases at Maryland’s public universities. As a result, tuition at Maryland’s public colleges went from being 7th most expensive in the nation to 26th least expensive. I have also been working with my colleagues to develop a plan to make community college more affordable and, in some cases, free.
During the 2015-2016 school year 2,363 of our students in Maryland between prekindergarten and second grade were suspended or expelled. When our youngest learners get suspended or expelled they are ten times more likely to drop out of school and are far more likely to become entangled in the criminal justice system. This practice disproportionately affects African-Americans and children with developmental differences. This past session I proposed legislation, which became law, that will end that practice and ensure we have equity in education.
If we hope to provide the next generation with the skills they need to succeed in our economy we must boldly invest in our public schools. While in Annapolis I fought alongside my Democratic colleagues to restore $68 in public school funding initially cut by the Governor. These cuts would have resulted in teacher layoffs, a decrease in programming options for our students, and larger class sizes.