Dive Brief:
- Maryland legislators on March 28 passed a bill to prohibit Gov. Larry Hogan and the state's education board from using vouchers or charter schools as way to meet the Every Student Succeeds Act's performance mandates, The Baltimore Sun reported.
- Hogan had proposed putting all struggling schools into one "Reform District," wherein vouchers would allow students to choose to attend private schools, while charter school operators would take over the district's schools. He has promised to veto the bill, saying it forces students to stay in failing schools, and legislators are expected to override the veto if the governor makes good on his promise.
- The bill also limits the extent to which test scores can be used to determine a school's success.
Dive Insight:
The fight in Maryland is one we are likely to see spring up in many states across the country, as teacher's unions and supporters of public education rally against what they call President Trump and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos' privatization agenda. As states work to put their accountability plans in place, many may consider voucher systems and expanded charter systems as viable fixes — and a way to survive another round of federal cuts, if the Trump budget is enacted.
Gov. Larry Hogan has said the Maryland bill will jeopardize $250 million in federal funding, but supporters disagree. Former Education Secretary and current Chair of the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Labor, Education and Pensions Lamar Alexander (R-TN) said states only have to have accountability plans, they don't have to be approved by the U.S. Department of Education. And recent changes to the reporting requirements have taken out the accountability provisions, requiring states to submit only the information which is "absolutely necessary."
