Thousands of educators and parents clad in red marched through the Maryland state capital after school hours last week, waving protest signs with such slogans as, “The Time Is Now,” “Fund Our Schools,” and “Schools Just Want to Have Funds.”
The purpose of the march was to urge legislators to increase school funding by $325 million for fiscal 2020 and by $750 million in fiscal 2021. That proposal—which has been introduced by Democratic leaders in the state House—would include money to provide a 1.5 percent average teacher raise and expand services for at-risk learners.
Teachers and parents marching said they can’t wait any longer for an investment in schools. They pointed to stagnant pay, dilapidated school buildings, unwieldy class sizes, and a lack of mental-health resources for at-risk students.
This is the first large-scale protest by Maryland teachers in a year of nationwide teacher activism.
About 1,500 miles away in Texas, teachers rallied at the state Capitol for increased school funding last week during spring break as well.
