The Baltimore Teachers Union is pleased that Mayor Catherine Pugh is working to provide an additional $180 million in city funding to help support Baltimore City Public Schools over the next three years. We are also pleased with Chairwoman Maggie McIntoshs commitment to assist the children of Baltimore City by implementing a plan to provide them with state funding. However, we remain very concerned about how much of that funding will be applied to the current deficit to ensure that there will be no layoffs of teachers, paraprofessionals, and support staff.
We continue to urge the School Board to renegotiate the 21st Century Building Plan with the State. This plan mandates that the School Board contribute $30 million annually from its operating, not capital, budget to build new schools. These are funds that could be directed toward the classroom.
The Baltimore Teachers Union will continue to work with city and state legislators, as well as the School System, to ensure that our teachers, paraprofessionals, and support staff remain in the classroom to provide the quality education every child in the Baltimore City School System deserves.