As the state legislature continues to struggle with how to close a significant budget gap, a group of state senators are suggesting that the gap cannot be closed by budget cuts alone. These state senators are to be commended for moving beyond the current conventional wisdom that the only way to balance the budget is to slash funding for essential services like public education. The only reasonable solution is a fair balance of both spending cuts and revenue increases.
PRESS RELEASE
February 22, 2011
Six Senators Propose $800 million Investment-Focused Changes to Budget
“Maryland First” budget restores school, health, road, and transit funds; protects pension fund; closes tax loopholes; makes income tax more progressive; boosts alcohol, cigarette, gas revenue
Responding to Governor Martin O'Malley's invitation to propose alternatives to his budget cuts, six Maryland state senators today released a "Maryland First" budget proposal to boost state investment in public education, health, transit, local roads, and other public services.
“We can continue our progress, and make Maryland a world class competitor in the 21st Century, by increasing public savings and investment through a comprehensive package of revenue measures which create incentives for progress and are fair to average families,” said the six Senators -- Delores Kelley (D-10), Karen Montgomery (D-14), Jim Rosapepe (D-21), Jamie Raskin (D-20), Brian Frosh (D-16), and Paul Pinsky (D-22).
Their "Maryland First" plan, designed to keep Maryland 1st in public education and become 1st in the nation in health care, transit, and quality local roads and public services, could be funded by a "comprehensive package of revenue measures which create incentives for progress and are fair to average families," the senators said. They note that revenue measures already on the table – millionaires’ tax, closing the “combined reporting” loophole, administrative changes and alcohol, tobacco, and gas taxes – could raise more than $800 million for state investment.
Their full statement is below:
Maryland First: A “Second Word” on the 2012 State Budget
Even in these tough times, Maryland is in better economic and fiscal condition than most other states. The reason? Over recent decades, we have invested wisely in the drivers of the 21st century economy -- education, inclusion, innovation, and high quality public services. And we've done it in a fiscally-responsible way, paying our bills and earning a Triple A bond rating.
To protect our economic success, create jobs, and continue our progress, we need to accelerate our investment in public education, public transportation, and public health. Such a 21st century strategy requires renewed public vision and commitment.
Given the collapse in state revenue caused by the international financial crisis, that means saving more now to produce more in the future. We support a 2012 budget that builds on Governor O'Malley's proposals, which he calls “the first word” on this year’s budget. A summary of our budget proposal, which we offer as a “second word,” is attached. Its key elements are to:
• restore state investment in our local schools to keep Maryland Number 1 in America.
• restore and expand our investment in public health, including mental health, disabilities, and rehabilitation programs.
• protect Maryland's ability to attract and retain outstanding public servants who provide high quality public services.
• repair and rehabilitate local roads, particularly in older communities.
• reduce traffic jams and promote smart growth by expanding mass transit, particularly in the dense Baltimore/Washington corridor.
We can continue our progress, and make Maryland a world class competitor in the 21st Century, by increasing public savings and investment through a comprehensive package of revenue measures which create incentives for progress and are fair to average families. Specifically, we believe Maryland’s investment in public education, public health, public transit, and local roads can be increased with revenue measurements such as the following:
• raising the gasoline tax for the first time in nineteen years as President Miller has proposed, as long as the proceeds are focused on boosting public transit and repairing local roads in established communities.
• raising the alcohol tax by 10 cents a drink for the first time in decades.
• raising the cigarette tax by $1 per pack.
• closing the unfair and wasteful "combined reporting" loophole used by big out-of-state corporations to dodge taxes paid by our local small businesses.
• making the State income tax more progressive, recapturing a small slice of the Bush tax cut for the Marylanders making more than $1 million per year.
• improving tax administration to assure that all Marylanders pay their fair share.
Together, these revenue measures would raise more than $800 million in each of the coming years. They would help balance the budget; reduce projected future deficits; protect our school children, our state employees, our environment, and our health; and improve our public transit system and local roads.
Statement of Senators Delores Kelley, Karen Montgomery, Jim Rosapepe, Jamie Raskin, Brian Frosh, and Paul Pinsky.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Thursday, February 24, 2011
What Is the Worth of a Teacher?
Many educators have seen a posting circulating on the internet that describes the worth of a teacher compared to a babysitter. Congratulations to Matt Shuman, an elementary instrumental music teacher and MCEA member, for creating this wonderful musical video adaption of it!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAiWOnB0EZQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAiWOnB0EZQ
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Understanding Wisconsin
This past Friday, the Rachel Maddow show on MSNBC did an informative segment on understanding the protests by teachers and other public employees in Wisconsin. I would encourage anyone interested in understanding the situation to take a few minutes to watch it.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/41655758#41655758
Tom Israel
MCEA Executive Director.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/41655758#41655758
Tom Israel
MCEA Executive Director.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Poll Show Voters Oppose Cuts in Education Funding
An overwhelming 82 percent of Maryland voters oppose the proposed $100 million cut in education funding, a new statewide survey has found. The poll, conducted by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research, showed strong support for a budget package that produces significant revenue to protect the services that voters care about.
The telephone survey, conducted on January 24-29 following the release of Governor Martin O’Malley’s proposed budget, surveyed 602 registered voters across the state and found:
• 82 percent of voters oppose the proposed $100 million cut in K-12 education.
• When asked which area of state services voters most want to protect, K-12 education tops the list by a landslide, scoring 23 points higher than any other area.
• A majority support a balanced approach to Maryland’s budget, opting for a plan that raises taxes and cuts services, rather than only one or the other.
“The public clearly recognizes that our top priority should be protecting our schools’ progress by opposing the devastating $100 million proposed cut in education funding,” said Maryland State Education Association President Clara Floyd. “Educators, parents, and an overwhelming number of Marylanders urge legislators to keep the promise to our children and our schools by fully funding education,” said Floyd.
The poll found broad support for a number of revenue proposals, including:
• 79 percent back a 5-cent increase in the alcohol tax and 75 percent support a 10-cent increase.
• 78 percent favor an increase in the income tax from 5.5 to 6.25 percent for those making more than 1 million dollars. Support remains at 78 percent with a proposal to raise the rate from 5.5 to 8.5 percent.
• 69 percent support requiring combined reporting for corporations that do business in multiple states.
• 82 percent support a 50-cent increase in the tobacco tax and 76 percent support a 1 dollar increase.
“This poll shows that Maryland voters are sending a clear signal: protecting education is their top priority and they support a balanced approach to the state’s budget, including targeted revenue increases,” said Greenberg Quinlan Rosner pollster Michael Bocian.
The poll’s margin of error is +/- 4.0 percentage points at a 95 percent confidence level. A copy of the polling results can be found here.
The telephone survey, conducted on January 24-29 following the release of Governor Martin O’Malley’s proposed budget, surveyed 602 registered voters across the state and found:
• 82 percent of voters oppose the proposed $100 million cut in K-12 education.
• When asked which area of state services voters most want to protect, K-12 education tops the list by a landslide, scoring 23 points higher than any other area.
• A majority support a balanced approach to Maryland’s budget, opting for a plan that raises taxes and cuts services, rather than only one or the other.
“The public clearly recognizes that our top priority should be protecting our schools’ progress by opposing the devastating $100 million proposed cut in education funding,” said Maryland State Education Association President Clara Floyd. “Educators, parents, and an overwhelming number of Marylanders urge legislators to keep the promise to our children and our schools by fully funding education,” said Floyd.
The poll found broad support for a number of revenue proposals, including:
• 79 percent back a 5-cent increase in the alcohol tax and 75 percent support a 10-cent increase.
• 78 percent favor an increase in the income tax from 5.5 to 6.25 percent for those making more than 1 million dollars. Support remains at 78 percent with a proposal to raise the rate from 5.5 to 8.5 percent.
• 69 percent support requiring combined reporting for corporations that do business in multiple states.
• 82 percent support a 50-cent increase in the tobacco tax and 76 percent support a 1 dollar increase.
“This poll shows that Maryland voters are sending a clear signal: protecting education is their top priority and they support a balanced approach to the state’s budget, including targeted revenue increases,” said Greenberg Quinlan Rosner pollster Michael Bocian.
The poll’s margin of error is +/- 4.0 percentage points at a 95 percent confidence level. A copy of the polling results can be found here.
###
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
School Unions Defend Maintenance of Effort
There has been a lot of talk recently in some quarters about the State's Maintenance of Effort requirement being unfair to Montgomery County. It's hard to understand what is unfair about the state saying that if they give the county more money for education, they expect the county to spend the money on education and not use it to divert local dollars to other purposes.
It is also difficult to understand how Montgomery County can complain about not getting enough state aid, and then expect the state to waive the local Maintenance of Effort requirement when virtually every other jurisdiction in the state is meeting Maintenance of Effort. If you lived anywhere else in the state, would you want your tax dollars being sent to a county that wasn't meeting their local Maintenance of Effort when your county was?
Some in Montgomery County complain that the county has historically exceeded Maintenance of Effort, so it shouldn't have to meet the requirement now. Yet the data shows that virtually every county in Maryland has exceeded their Maintenance of Effort requirements over the years, and a majority of them have done so at a higher rate than Montgomery County has. The data on this can be found in MCEA's Background Paper on School Funding & Employee Compensation in MCPS (see table 5).
Today, the three unions in MCPS (MCEA, SEIU and MCAAP) sent a joint letter to Governor O'Malley and our state legislative delegation to urge them to avoid making changes to the Maintenance of Effort law that would undermine funding for public education.
It is also difficult to understand how Montgomery County can complain about not getting enough state aid, and then expect the state to waive the local Maintenance of Effort requirement when virtually every other jurisdiction in the state is meeting Maintenance of Effort. If you lived anywhere else in the state, would you want your tax dollars being sent to a county that wasn't meeting their local Maintenance of Effort when your county was?
Some in Montgomery County complain that the county has historically exceeded Maintenance of Effort, so it shouldn't have to meet the requirement now. Yet the data shows that virtually every county in Maryland has exceeded their Maintenance of Effort requirements over the years, and a majority of them have done so at a higher rate than Montgomery County has. The data on this can be found in MCEA's Background Paper on School Funding & Employee Compensation in MCPS (see table 5).
Today, the three unions in MCPS (MCEA, SEIU and MCAAP) sent a joint letter to Governor O'Malley and our state legislative delegation to urge them to avoid making changes to the Maintenance of Effort law that would undermine funding for public education.
Tuesday, February 01, 2011
School Funding and Employee Compensation Are Not The Problem
The County Council's Office of Legislative Oversight (OLO) issued a report in December that purported to provide "options for long term fiscal balance". Yet of the more than 250 pages in the report, 240 pages are devoted to reducing employee salaries and benefits, and a mere 7 pages are devoted to revenue options.
There is no attention given to evaluating the effectiveness of the myriad of public services the county provides, no effort to reduce bureaucracy, nor any attempt to prioritize essential programs while eliminating non-essential programs.
There is no doubt that Montgomery County, like the state and the nation, faces another difficult budget year. Our schools face likely budget reductions not only in local funding, but in state and federal funding as well. Unfortunately, there are some voices which seek to paint the school system – and/or employee compensation - as the causes of the county’s budget problems. The facts do not support this.
MCEA has prepared a Background Paper on School Funding & Employee Compensation in MCPS that provides detailed data that - we believe - refutes the assertions that school funding and/or employee compensation are the causes of the county's budget problems.
The District of Columbia Public Schools now pay higher teacher salaries than Montgomery County does. Most school districts in the area pay their school bus drivers more than MCPS does. As one County Council member is fond of saying, you're entitled to your own opinion, but not your own facts. Salaries in MCPS are not out-of-line.
It has become fashionable in some circles to scapegoat public employees. We believe that here in Montgomery County, residents understand the valuable contribution that local, state and federal public employees make to the well-being of our communities. We believe that public service is an honorable profession.
Montgomery County has been, and continues to be, the tenth wealthiest county in America. We are committed to maintaining a high quality public school system – staffed by the best educators - that continues to improve the quality of education for our children.
Over the last two years, MCPS employees have voluntarily sacrificed more than $200 million in negotiated salary increases. We have, and continue to be willing to do our part. However we do not believe that the county government can solve its budget problems through cuts alone.
We want our elected representatives to work together to find a fair and balanced budget solution.
Tom Israel
MCEA Executive Director
There is no attention given to evaluating the effectiveness of the myriad of public services the county provides, no effort to reduce bureaucracy, nor any attempt to prioritize essential programs while eliminating non-essential programs.
There is no doubt that Montgomery County, like the state and the nation, faces another difficult budget year. Our schools face likely budget reductions not only in local funding, but in state and federal funding as well. Unfortunately, there are some voices which seek to paint the school system – and/or employee compensation - as the causes of the county’s budget problems. The facts do not support this.
MCEA has prepared a Background Paper on School Funding & Employee Compensation in MCPS that provides detailed data that - we believe - refutes the assertions that school funding and/or employee compensation are the causes of the county's budget problems.
The District of Columbia Public Schools now pay higher teacher salaries than Montgomery County does. Most school districts in the area pay their school bus drivers more than MCPS does. As one County Council member is fond of saying, you're entitled to your own opinion, but not your own facts. Salaries in MCPS are not out-of-line.
It has become fashionable in some circles to scapegoat public employees. We believe that here in Montgomery County, residents understand the valuable contribution that local, state and federal public employees make to the well-being of our communities. We believe that public service is an honorable profession.
Montgomery County has been, and continues to be, the tenth wealthiest county in America. We are committed to maintaining a high quality public school system – staffed by the best educators - that continues to improve the quality of education for our children.
Over the last two years, MCPS employees have voluntarily sacrificed more than $200 million in negotiated salary increases. We have, and continue to be willing to do our part. However we do not believe that the county government can solve its budget problems through cuts alone.
We want our elected representatives to work together to find a fair and balanced budget solution.
Tom Israel
MCEA Executive Director
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