Governor O'Malley Congratulates Maryland's Teachers for Making Schools Among Best in Nation
ANNAPOLIS, MD (May 6, 2008) – In celebration of National Teacher Day, Governor Martin O’Malley today congratulated Maryland’s educators for their critical role in making the state’s school system one of the best in the country. Governor O’Malley today also issued a Governor’s Proclamation in recognition of Teacher Appreciation Week.
“I proudly join students, parents and members of local communities across Maryland in thanking our more than 100,000 teachers and other staff who bring their best every day to our students,” said Governor O’Malley. “Through their hard work and dedication, great teachers spark our children’s curiosity and teach them to become lifelong learners.”
Over the past year, Maryland’s public schools have showed signs of excellent progress. Education Week recently ranked Maryland’s school system among the top three in the country, the state ranked #2 in the nation in the percentage of students who get a grade of “3” or better on AP tests, and reading and math scores have been rising in every district in the state.
In his first 14 months in office, Governor O’Malley and the General Assembly made a historic $5.3 billion investment in K-12 public education, including $733 million for school construction during his first two years in office to ensure that every Maryland child receives a world class education. Governor O’Malley also provided funding for the Geographic Cost of Education Index for the first time, and created the SEED school, Maryland’s first statewide public boarding school.
In addition, in order to ensure that higher education is accessible to more Maryland families, Governor O’Malley and the General Assembly established the first ever Higher Education Trust Fund to stabilize tuition costs for families and froze college tuition for a third consecutive year. Governor O’Malley also increased aid for community colleges by 9 percent and invested a record $150 million over the last two years to better facilities at community colleges around our State.
To learn more about National Teacher Day, sponsored by the National Education Association and the Maryland State Teachers Association, visit http://www.nea.org/teacherday/index.html.
[ View a copy of the proclamation ]
