CER Press Release
Washington, D.C.
April 1, 2015
The Maryland Senate Education, Health and Environmental Affairs Committee voted 10-1 on Tuesday in favor of a bill that will have little to no impact on ensuring the success of charter schools in the state as intended by the Governor’s original, modest proposal.
“The Governor’s mandate to change Maryland lost ground when the Maryland Senate Committee ignored the science of good policy and the potential impact of charter schooling across our state,” said Kara Kerwin, president of CER.
“Maryland’s charter school law is one of the worst in the nation,” said Kenneth Campbell, Activist, Founding Board Member and Immediate Past President of Black Alliance for Educational Options (BAEO). “And the problem isn’t the people in the system, but rather the structure and policies of the system itself that do not work best for students and deny parents freedom and access to effective public education options.”
The original proposal to amend Maryland’s charter school law would have allowed charter schools greater freedoms with regard to personnel, and allowed the State Board of Education to make binding decisions regarding charter school application appeals.
The bill now heads to the full Senate for consideration this week.