We talk about funding schools... because we've been talking about funding schools forever. Other than the grifters who want to privatize everything, nobody is anti-schools. Lots of folks seem to be anti-teachers, however.
I'll spare you from the "think about the children" rhetoric, and the virtue-signaling that implies that if our teachers can't be forced to comply with bad-faith negotiations, they put our children's right to an education at risk. The education students would get as they see their teachers and librarians stand up for themselves and fight for fair treatment and fair pay would be exactly what you think. Those students might want the same things one day, and witnessing the struggle of their teachers just might be inspiring, give them an opportunity to learn about labor rights, history, and human rights... and we can't have that, can we?
For years now, there have been bills introduced in Annapolis that don't make it out of committee. The current statewide efforts to repeal the ban on public employee strikes unfortunately exclude Montgomery and PG counties due to functionally redundant language in their charters. So even if we repealed the statewide ban, those counties would also have to update their charters to give their teachers the rights they deserve.
Currently, my team is exploring the feasibility of a charter amendment in Howard County that would promote our teachers, librarians, and other public staff to being first-class citizens with all of their due bargaining rights.
If we see a path forward, we will lay out and publish the plan as a playbook for not just Howard County, but other counties and municipalities burdened with the same arcane and restrictive labor laws to take a little action and make a little justice in the world.
I've got HCEA and MDEA's back. Think about the children.
