Maryland Underfunds Its Publicly Funded HBCUs
Some of Maryland’s Black lawmakers were insulted by the amount of funding Gov. Larry Hogan proposed on Wednesday to satisfy a lawsuit over the state’s inequitable funding of four public Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
Publicly funded HBCUs, like the ones in Maryland, are struggling to survive financially. For decades, state governments have underfunded them compared to predominantly White state institutions. Unlike flagship state universities, the Black universities charge much lower tuition, enroll fewer students and receive smaller private donations.
At the same time, there’s a widespread legacy of discrimination and neglect from state governments.
Eighteen HBCUs in several states had not received nearly $57 million of state funding, according to a 2013 report from the Association of Public and Land Grant Universities.
Other lawmakers were less generous than Glenn in their response to Hogan’s offer. “That’s like throwing peanuts at a very gigantic problem,” Del. Nick Mosby said after breaking down the numbers. The four HBCUs would receive about $2.5 million per year over a decade. Hogan’s offer is also getting a cold response outside the Legislature. David Burton, the lead plaintiff in the case, described the $100 million as a “slap in the face.”
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Governor Hogan Ignores Heating Crisis in Baltimore City Schools
Baltimore parents, students and teachers brace themselves for another winter of substandard heatng n Baltimore schools. The Baltmore Teacher's Union has demanded that schools close until ths problem is addressed. Children frequently wore coats and gloves while trying to focus on their education. Governor Hogan argues that the school system has enough money ...turning his back on the needs of Baltimore's needes children. To voice your concern call: Baltimore City at 443 984-2000
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Larry Hogan's education agenda has focused on limiting funding for public schools to create money for his new private school voucher program. In his first budget, he tried to cut $144 million from schools, and successfully withheld $68 million resulting in larger class sizes, slashed programs, and cut educator positions in 13 Maryland counties. In total, he has withheld nearly $100 million from schools that are now underfunded by billions of dollars. After meeting with Donald Trump's Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, Hogan created a private school voucher program, diverting $20 million from public schools to subsidize private school tuition. As public schools have gone underfunded, their quality has slipped. Recently ranked best in the nation five years in a row, Maryland schools have now fallen to 6th in Education Week's national rankings. Between 2015 and 2017, Maryland’s national ranking has dropped 6 spots for 8th grade reading achievement and 11 spots for 8th grade math on the National Assessment for Education Progress. This drop in educational quality has resulted in a wider achievement gap. According to the Maryland State Department of Education, the achievement gap has widened between white and non-white students since 2015.
t’s the very definition of common sense that teachers should be at the decision-making table when developing policies that affect our students,” MSEA president Betty Weller said in a statement. “Gov. Hogan is sending a very clear message: He doesn’t believe teachers should have a voice in decisions about our schools, students and profession.”
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