A Message from the Governor: Strengthening our Schools

Yesterday, I was proud to join all 24 public school superintendents from across our State as they gathered in Annapolis to discuss the state of education in Maryland, and how we can build upon the successes and historic investments we've made as One Maryland for our public schools. And this past weekend, I had the opportunity to address more than 700 teachers from the Maryland State Education Association, who gathered at their annual convention in Ocean City.

We are very fortunate in Maryland to have such a talented, committed group of professional educators, who aren't content with simply running in place and defending our number one ranking in America for our public schools. They want, as all of us do, to be competitive globally and we can do that by protecting those priorities we share even when it is difficult to do so.

In the past three years, the O'Malley-Brown Administration has fully funded the Thornton Bridge to Excellence Plan – the first administration to do so – and invested $1 billion over a three-year period in school construction, a first in Maryland's history. In an effort to build upon the system's number one national ranking, we've set ambitious goals for ourselves and for our students, including increasing college and career readiness, improving student achievement, and increasing the number of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math college graduates.We've set the bar high for our students, and they're responding. Graduation rates are up. Standardized test scores are up virtually across the board. And we're closing the achievement gap that has historically existed between minority students and their white counterparts. Our high school students are now out-pacing their counterparts nationwide on advanced placement exams, and Maryland now ranks first in the nation in its achievement on those rigorous exams.

I could not be more proud of our students and the dedicated professionals in our public schools. Join me in congratulating them in their achievement, and committing as One Maryland to do everything we can to protect our shared priorities, even in tough times.
Martin O'Malley
Governor