Continuing to Invest in the Nation's #1 Ranked Schools
In the FY2013 budget, we will continue to invest record funding into our schools so that our students are not only able to compete nationally, but globally as well.
From the early days of our Administration, job creation--and its primary ingredient, education--has topped our agenda. Together, during recessionary times, even as we've cut $6.8 billion in state spending, we've made record investments in K-12 public schools.
Building Schools & Creating Jobs
It was just a few short years ago, that the Kopp Commission rightfully declared that we had a "crisis in school construction in our state." In 2007, our administration invested a record $400 million into school construction, so that our children can learn in state-of-the-art classrooms instead of temporary learning shacks. Today, we're proposing more than $370 million, an investment that will build our classrooms while supporting nearly 11,650 jobs.
Higher Education
Even in the midst of a global recession, we went four years in a row without a penny's increase in college tuition at Maryland's public universities--the only state in the country to do so. Today, we're continuing that record of investment with a budget proposal that holds tuition increases to a modest 3% while at the same time, invests in infrastructure at our institutions of higher learning--including our community colleges.
Get the Skills2Compete
More than three out of every four projected job openings in Maryland require some type of post-secondary training or education. Skills2Compete is an initiative we launched to connect Marylanders with the resources they need to gain the skills compete in today's job market. Do you need extra training? Check out the website today.
"Job creation in an Innovation Economy, requires leveraging our most important asset: the talents, skills, ingenuity and creativity of our people."
-Governor O'Malley at Education Week's 2012 Quality Counts Conference
Accomplishments
- For the 4th year in a row, Education Week has named Maryland's public schools #1 in the nation.
- Maryland leads the nation in the percentage of graduating seniors that have taken and passed AP exams.
- Maryland students are graduating from high school at a record rate, according to data from the class of 2011.
- More than half of Maryland high schools were included in Newsweek's list of "America's Top High Schools," making Maryland #1 in the nation.
- Our elementary school students continue to improve on their standardized tests.
- According to Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, five Maryland universities rank among the nation’s “100 Best Values” in public higher education in 2012
- Morgan State University was named among “America’s Best Colleges” by Forbes Magazine in 2011 and among the 10 best historically black colleges and universities.
Always Improving: Goals to Move Forward
Improve Student Achievement and School, College and Career Readiness in Maryland 25% by the end of 2015
While our schools continue to rank #1 in the nation, we know that we can always do better . Together, we've set the goal to give our students the skills they need to compete and win in the emerging global economy.
Learn more about our goals to move Maryland's students forward.