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Ah, campaign season.
The media is abuzz with presidential campaign news, shadowing the candidates as they duke it out in battleground states and present their plans to reboot American prosperity.
Here at 50CAN, we too are in full-fledged campaign mode, and we too have a plan to reboot American prosperity. The one big difference is that we’re not campaigning for a presidential nomination. We’re campaigning to pass four sets of education reforms into state law.
As of the start of the year we’re four CANs deep, and each one of them is running its own, uniquely branded legislative campaign with a unique set of policy goals to pass into law during the state’s legislative session (you can meet all of the campaigns–and find out what Star Wars, hockey, the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and JFK have in common–here).
These campaigns are moving so quickly, it can be hard to keep up. So every week I’m going to provide a “campaign freeze frame”–a glimpse of where we’re at it in each campaign, including opportunities for you to take action and partner with our CANs in pushing for these reforms.
And now for our first-ever campaign freeze frame:
The MarylandCAN team is flying fast and furious through a shorter-than-average legislative session, ramping up support for three key bills that would overhaul Maryland’s restrictive public charter law, empower working parents who want to be involved at school and help every Maryland four-year-old attend quality preschool.
If you’re from the Old Line State, you’re in luck. MarylandCAN has not one, but three important ways to can help bridge your state’s achievement gaps:
- Fund quality pre-K for all and tell lawmakers to support SB 878 and HB 1241, which would give every Maryland four-year-old access to a quality pre-K program, which research shows is critical for success.
- Champion parental involvement and tell your legislators to support SB 329 and HB 567, which would allow parents to meet with their children’s teachers, such as in parent-teacher conferences and IEP Meetings, without penalty from employers.
MinnCAN: The Playbook for Education in Minnesota
MinnCAN celebrated a huge win when the state legislature passed HF 1870, which would prize first-string teachers and reform Minnesota’s seniority-based layoff system. Now it’s up to Governor Mark Dayton to sign the bill into law–and he says he hasn’t decided where he stands. Tell the governor to stand on the side of Minnesota’s great teachers and the kids they teach!
NYCAN: The Empire State Strikes Back
This week NYCAN’s Christina Grant told the story of Morgan McLin, a Buffalo teenager who says her early college high school changed her life. You can help NYCAN by writing state lawmakers and tell them to include Article VII language in AB 9057, which would expand state support for early college high schools by allowing early college high schools to receive Tuition Assistance Program funding.
The Rising Tide’s quest to lift all boats in Rhode Island classrooms celebrated an early win when the Board of Regents voted to approve Achievement First’s application to open a Mayoral Academy in Providence, and now the RI-CAN team has turned to the next battle: prizing Rhode Island’s talented teachers by reforming the state’s antiquated school staffing policies. Join them in telling legislators to prize talented teachers and support H-7863 and its companion S-2531.