On the Blueprint bill: “What students needed was a yes, not a no”

8 May 2020, HYATTSVILLE, MD – In response to Governor Hogan’s veto of the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future bill, an historical educational reform bill passed in the Maryland legislature earlier this year, CASA Education Director Maritza Solano issued the following statement.

“Governor Larry Hogan vetoed the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future bill at a time when students’ future was bleak. Inequities that Black, Latino, English Language Learners, and Special Education students face are exacerbated through distance learning. This legislation would have set a path to address the ever growing academic achievement gap, the lack of expanded social and mental health resources, and access to prepared educators to serve our students. The Covid-19 crisis has shown us that these inequities are not just about dilapidated school buildings and zip codes but also a true failing from our state on how education is currently funded. Governor Hogan’s veto condemns students – especially Black, Latino, English Language Learner and Special Education students – now and in the future from accessing a high-quality education and making uncertain their educational and economic success. CASA calls on members of the General Assembly to reconvene as quickly as possible to overturn this veto and return to the critical work of legislating progressive responses to the current crisis.”

For the past three years, CASA monitored and advocated for the passage of the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future to ensure it is equitable to Black, Latino, English Language Learner and Special Education students. CASA has fought to ensure the needs and voices of those most faced with educational inequities and lack of funding are centered in the Blueprint and fought alongside other civil rights and educational advocacy organizations in the Blueprint Coalition and Maryland Alliance for Racial Equity in Education to urge the Maryland General Assembly to pass this historical educational reform bill.

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With over 100,000 members across the states of Maryland, Virginia, and South Central Pennsylvania, CASA is the largest member-based Latino and immigrant organization in the mid-Atlantic region. CASA organizes with and litigates on behalf of low-wage immigrants. Visit us at www.wearecasa.org and follow us on Twitter at @CASAforall