Statement from the Maryland Alliance for Racial Equity in Education on Governor Hogan’s decision to veto HB1300

Today, the Maryland Alliance for Racial Equity in Education (MAREE) released the following statement on Governor Hogan’s decision to veto HB1300, The Blueprint for Maryland’s Future:

“Governor Hogan’s veto threatens Maryland’s ability to meet the needs of our students, families and educators who are facing unprecedented hardships due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and it jeopardizes Maryland’s economic recovery. Most of all, the burden will fall hardest on Maryland’s students of color who were already given the least resources and opportunities.

“This spring, the Maryland General Assembly had the courage to pass the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future and committed to ending unjust educational inequities and providing every student a world class education. Nearly half of Maryland’s Black and Latino students attend school in one of the three most underfunded districts in the state, and they have less access to experienced teachers, advanced courses and other critical resources than their white peers. These inequities have no doubt led to Maryland’s longstanding inequities in academic outcomes. COVID-19 – which has disproportionately affected communities of color – threatens to make the already existing gaps worse.

“We need the resources, policies and accountability in the Blueprint now more than ever if Maryland is going to emerge from this crisis a stronger and more just state. Now is not the time for Maryland to turn its back on its most vulnerable and underserved students. We urge the members of the Maryland General Assembly to override Governor Hogan’s veto.”

The Members of the Maryland Alliance for Racial Equity in Education,

The ACLU Of Maryland,
Advocates for Children and Youth,
Baltimore Corp,
The Black and Brown Coalition for Educational Equity and Excellence,
Business Leaders United for Education in Maryland
Casa de Maryland,
The Caucus of African American Leaders of Anne Arundel County,
The Education Trust, Gaithersburg Beloved Community Initiative,
The Greater Baltimore Urban League,
Identity, Inc.,
The NAACP Maryland State Conference,
The NAACP Parent Council of Montgomery County,
Prince George’s County Advocates for Better Schools,
Urban Teachers,
The 1977-II Action Group