“School districts are being forced to consider bad options, including class-size increases, cuts in educator positions and the discontinuation of programs while Gov. Hogan withholds this crucial funding,” said MSEA President Betty Weller in a statement. “Educators, parents and elected officials from both parties are urging the governor to move swiftly and release this funding to make sure that it can help our students and avoid negative consequences for our schools.”

The campaign included a relaunched website, which was first introduced in February after Gov. Hogan proposed cutting $144 million from public schools. The state’s general assembly restored $132 million of those cuts, but Gov. Hogan still needed to release the $68 million that comes from the Geographic Cost of Education Index (GCEI), according to MSEA.

A broad, bipartisan coalition of educators, parents, school board members, superintendents, county officials and state legislators held local events after the end of the legislative session to urge Gov. Hogan to release the funding. The funds go to 13 jurisdictions, including Baltimore, where the cost of education is higher than in other areas of the state.

However, in mid-May, Gov. Hogan announced he would not release the $68 million. He instead plans to direct a portion of the money to the state pension fund. Maryland currently faces $18.7 billion in unfunded pension liabilities. The governor said ignoring the problem would be irresponsible.

For weeks, the teachers union, education advocates and many Democratic lawmakers demanded the governor fully fund the GCEI.

“In Carroll County, they are talking about increasing fees on parents for sporting programs, and in Montgomery County, they are talking about a reduction in 300 teaching positions. In Baltimore City, they are talking about fewer summer programs,” Sean Johnson, director for the MSEA, told Baltimore news station WBAL-TV.

State law requires record funding for education each year. The governor’s budget included $6.1 billion in K-12 funding and $318 million in school construction money. The General Assembly passed an emergency bill mandating fully funding the GCEI. Gov. Hogan said he would let that bill become law without his signature.

"We understand there are enough votes to override the veto, and it’s not worth putting people through the protracted battle with Legislature over the issue. We’ll find some way to comply with this unreasonable mandate next year," Gov. Hogan said in a statement.

Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake disagreed with the governor’s decision.

"I am disheartened that Gov. Hogan has chosen not to provide this basic funding for schools in Baltimore City and across the state of Maryland. Given how the needs of our children have been highlighted by the events of the past few weeks, I hoped that the governor would have agreed with the General Assembly that these dollars are critical for expanded educational opportunities," Rawlings-Blake said in a statement.

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The Maryland House approved the Baltimore City Public Schools Construction and Revitalization Act of 2013 last week in a 107-30 vote. The bill, which would require the state to provide a block grant to the city’s school each year, is now heading to the Senate.

“We have seen progress in our schools. Increased enrollment, better teacher pay has attracted new and qualified teachers, charter schools are attracting more families to our neighborhoods,” said Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake in an appeal to the State Appropriations Committee. “But I continue to be embarrassed by the physical condition of some of our schools.”

Sponsored by the Baltimore City Delegation, the act would call for city schools to pay the state $20 million each year for the next 30 years.

Crumbling foundations, leaky roofs and unreliable heating and cooling systems are among the growing concerns at Baltimore schools, Rawlings-Blake said.

The city’s school buildings are the oldest in the state and although Baltimore public schools have seen extreme growth in terms of academic success, the environment in which students learn continue to take its toll on students, said Andres Alonso, CEO of Baltimore City Public Schools (BCPS).

“The buildings in which our students learn are an obstacle to their continued progress,” Alonso said. “We know from research from experience and from common sense that school buildings that are old and in poor condition have a detrimental effect on student achievement and teacher retention.”

The $20 million would be funded by the city’s general fund with additional revenue from the city’s bottle tax and taxes on casinos.

A previous plan to borrow $2.4 billion, renovate 136 school buildings and close 26 schools fell short in Annapolis last year, with concerns of growing debt in the schools and capital.

“We’ve worked really hard with the leadership in the House and the Senate, as well as with the governor to put before the legislature a proposal that can pass," Rawlings-Blake said.

Yasmene Mumby, co-chair of the Baltimore Education Coalition, began rallying two years ago to transform Baltimore schools. A former teacher, she recalls mice-infested classrooms unfit for academic growth.

“I taught in a school where the ceiling tiles would crumble where the pipes were so old they would burst bathroom water on the classroom floors,” Mumby said. “Because the walls were aging mice and rodents would find homes in between the walls of our classroom and then visit our classroom when they felt like it.”

With her familiarity with the crumbling infrastructure of Baltimore schools, Mumby said the teachers and 85,000 students of BCPS simply couldn’t wait any longer to incite change.

“As a teacher this affected me tremendously,” Mumby said. “You take my experience and you multiply that with other experiences with parents sending their children into these schools, students going into these schools and then leadership and staff having to work in these conditions and enough was enough.”

Several education reform and nonprofit organizations have praised the act that would bring $32 million to schools in its first year with continued growth subsequent.

“Our efforts to grow Baltimore by 10,000 families over the next 10 years really depends greatly upon the continued progress of our schools,” Rawlings-Blake said. “In order for Baltimore city to grow and do the right thing by our children, our school system had to get better.”

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