More state and local officials are calling on Sen. Paul Pinsky to reverse course and add more diversity to the Kirwan Accountability and Implementation Board (AIB), which will be charged with implementing the new Kirwan education overhaul statewide, and overseeing tens of billions of taxpayer dollars.
Sen. Pinsky’s plan calls for representation from residents from just four of the state’s 24 jurisdictions and only from Central Maryland: Anne Arundel County, Baltimore City, Baltimore County, and Montgomery County. This means no Latino representation, in addition to no representation from Prince George’s County, Western Maryland, the Eastern Shore, or Southern Maryland.
There has been a sustained bipartisan outcry, including from Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks, the Maryland Legislative Latino Caucus, the Senate Republican Caucus, and the House Republican Caucus, as well as Sen. Michael Hough, Sen. Mary Beth Carozza, Sen. Jack Bailey, and Sen. Paul Corderman.
Yesterday, more letters from state and local leaders came out calling for more diversity on the board:
What they’re saying:
Sen. Pinsky’s plan calls for representation from residents from just four of the state’s 24 jurisdictions and only from Central Maryland: Anne Arundel County, Baltimore City, Baltimore County, and Montgomery County. This means no Latino representation, in addition to no representation from Prince George’s County, Western Maryland, the Eastern Shore, or Southern Maryland.
There has been a sustained bipartisan outcry, including from Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks, the Maryland Legislative Latino Caucus, the Senate Republican Caucus, and the House Republican Caucus, as well as Sen. Michael Hough, Sen. Mary Beth Carozza, Sen. Jack Bailey, and Sen. Paul Corderman.
Yesterday, more letters from state and local leaders came out calling for more diversity on the board:
- Caroline County Commissioners: “The Caroline County Commissioners are profoundly dissatisfied with the nominations submitted by AIB for your approval and for the Senate’s confirmation. We stand firm in our belief that the lack of cultural and geographical diversity will not only be detrimental to the State as a whole, but to the students in our schools.”
- Del. Kathy Szeliga: “The AIB Nominating Committee is required to select nominees that reflect the geographic, racial, and gender diversity of the state. The current nominees are from only four jurisdictions out of 24. Clearly, there is not adequate geographic diversity. And the current racial makeup of the AIB nominees are not reflective of Maryland’s population either.”
- Del. Wendell Beitzel: “It has come to our attention that the entirety of Western Maryland has been neglected based on the announced nominees. … This is an issue raising extreme bipartisan concern as several groups are tremendously underrepresented by the current candidates, which aforementioned hold tremendous responsibility affecting the entirety of Maryland’s student population. It is inexcusable that none of the five jurisdictions that make up Western Maryland have a representative nominated for the board.”
What they’re saying:
- “Rural representation, diversity lacking in education reform nominees. Calls mount for change. The nominating committee for an education reform panel has not reopened applications, despite Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan’s urgent request Sept. 10 for more diverse nominees Hogan’s letter requested the committee to “immediately reopen the application process and provide a slate of nominees that accurately reflect our student population.” (Capital News Service)
- “The Caroline County Commissioners sent a letter to Gov. Larry Hogan Tuesday, Sept. 28, asking him to reject the nominees selected for the Kirwan Accountability and Implementation Board. They thanked the governor for calling on the nominating committee, along with Senate President Bill Ferguson and House Speaker Adrienne Jones, to reconsider the nominations, which ‘clearly do not represent the entire State of Maryland and its students.’” (Star Democrat)
- “As local educators explain, educating children in a rural setting is vastly different from schooling in a metropolitan area. ‘One of the big issues we saw during last school year and during the pandemic was virtual education. The availability of services, broadband, reliable power, all those kinds of things,’ said Somerset County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. John Gaddis. Dr. Gaddis tells 47ABC the lack of Eastern Shore representation could leave them behind as the four counties represented move forward.” (WMDT)
- “Republicans representing rural parts of the state decried the lack of nominees from the Eastern Shore, Western Maryland and Southern Maryland on the Accountability and Implementation Board (AIB), which will be responsible for ensuring that the state and local jurisdictions fully implement the multi-billion-dollar Blueprint education reforms aimed at closing student achievement gaps and transforming Maryland’s education system over the next decade.” (Maryland Matters)
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