Remarks as prepared
Delivered on Tuesday, May 6, 2025
Welcome to the Maryland State House. And Happy National Teacher Appreciation Day.
I’d like to thank our partners inside the work:
House Speaker Adrienne Jones;
Senate President Bill Ferguson;
Committee leaders in the House and Senate – and all of our state legislators;
Members of our cabinet;
And the countless Marylanders who traveled to Annapolis to make their voices heard.
At the top, I’d like to personally recognize two leaders in the Maryland General Assembly.
First: Senator Bryan Simonaire.
Now, I know in this time of political divisiveness, it’s unusual for a Democrat to thank a Republican.
But the truth is, I’ve had the joy of working closely with both Democrats and Republicans in finding ways to support Maryland soldiers and veterans.
This year, Senator Simonaire introduced a comprehensive legislative package to uplift Marylanders who serve in the armed forces.
His bills help ensure greater access to state benefits.
They ensure equal and consistent access to resources across different military branches.
They expand the power of the Department of Veterans and Military Families to deliver essential support to Maryland’s veteran community.
As a governor, I am deeply grateful for this legislation. And as a veteran, I am personally moved by Senator Simonaire’s tireless leadership.
Senator: Thanks for your continued service.
Second, I want to thank Delegate Marc Korman.
Under legislation he authored this year, the governor must now either divest from any conflicts of interest or place their interests into a blind trust.
We deserve a governor who makes decisions in the best interest of the people, not the best interest of themselves.
Gone are the days when a Maryland governor can make millions of dollars in office because they didn’t view their time in public service as a reason to stop their private profits.
Gone are the days when a Maryland governor has a vote on the Board of Public Works and has a personal stake in how state contracts are awarded.
And this isn’t just about how we operate here in the State House – this is about the message we send to those constituents who feel a real and justified skepticism of their elected officials.
At a time when we have a President of the United States selling crypto –
And Members of Congress trading stocks –
And government contractors also serving as “special government employees” –
It’s no wonder many people have lost confidence in the ethics of Washington politicians.
Well, in Maryland, we move different.
This bill will make Maryland a national leader in ethical leadership – and help us restore the bonds of trust that have frayed with time.
Maryland is now one of the first – if not the first – state in the nation to codify this kind of guardrail on the chief executive –
Because nobody should be able to use the office of governor as a get-rich-quick scheme – for them or their family.
Delegate Korman: Thank you for bringing this bill to the General Assembly. I cannot wait to sign it.
Last, I want to discuss one of the most important goals we established early on: Building a world-class education system in Maryland.
Education is the foundation on which we build everything else.
Two years before I was sworn in as governor, the General Assembly passed historic education reform.
But, like any law of big ambition and bold aspiration, we knew there would have to be responsible adjustments and enhancements made.
We don’t make these adjustments because we don’t believe in the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future.
We make these adjustments because we do believe in the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future – and we believe in implementing it sustainably.
So today, we write the next chapter in our work to build a world-class public education system in Maryland that uplifts the hopes of every student.
The Excellence in Maryland Public Schools Act takes aim at the single largest barrier to achievement in our schools: The teacher shortage.
If someone is raising their hand to teach our children, they should be rewarded with opportunity – not burdened by debt.
That’s why we are improving and expanding the flagship Grow Your Own Program, which funds debt-free pathways to obtain a teaching certificate.
Our legislation also ensures that we spend taxpayer dollars more responsibly and strategically.
I believe in investing in our schools – but money is nothing without strategy and focus.
And here’s the upshot: The Excellence in Public Schools Act will help us close the teacher shortage, improve academic achievement, and invest responsibly in our education system – all at the same time.
Now, getting to this point wasn’t simple.
This is the first meaningful update to the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future since the legislation was enacted in 2021.
It took everyone coming together to choose the hard thing over the easy thing – working together to make our approach to education even stronger.
I want to thank the Accountability and Implementation Board –
The Maryland State Board of Education –
Superintendent Carey Wright –
The Maryland State Education Association –
And committee chairs in the General Assembly: Chair Guzzone, Chair Barnes, Chair Atterbeary, and Chair Feldman.
But I want to be clear: While this legislation is an important step forward, it cannot be the last step we take on education.
While we were able to authorize a new Academic Excellence program to improve literacy, it wasn’t funded.
While we refined our strategy to ensure we aren’t just spending more but also spending smart, it won’t surprise any of you that I believe we didn’t go far enough.
I will continue to use every option available to me as governor to improve our schools and deliver for our students.
Because if we get this right, everything else falls into place.
Education is the pathway to growing our workforce, uplifting the ambitions of our children and families, and building new avenues to opportunity for all.
And we are joined today by someone who knows exactly what I’m talking about.
Sheila Jones-Wagner began working for Howard County Public Schools as an education support professional.
She wanted to become a teacher. But the high cost of going back to school put a pause on her long-term career goals.
And then, she found a path forward.
Sheila was accepted into a Grow Your Own Program, established by Howard Public Schools, the County Education Association, and Bowie State.
She took evening courses to get her certificate – and her tuition, books, and fees were fully covered.
Today, Sheila is in her second year as a 6th-grade geography teacher at Thomas Viaduct Middle School in Hanover, Maryland.
Last year, she came to Annapolis to testify in support of a statewide program to deliver debt-free pathways to education licensure.
Today, we build on the foundation she helped lay.
The legislation we sign this afternoon are part of our push toward hardening and honoring a true spirit of service to others – that is not selfish, but selfless.
Sheila typifies that spirit. And in honor of her service to our students and our state, I would like to present her with this ceremonial “first pen.”
I will now turn the program to Senate President Bill Ferguson.