AUTONOMY OF LOCAL SCHOOLS UNCERTAIN

ANNAPOLIS – Maryland teachers have been overwhelmed by challenges this school year as a result of an abundance of changes to education policy. But the struggle played out in individual classrooms is a symptom of a larger three-way battle for control over education in the state.

This tug of war has led to threats of legal action, as well as unnecessary anxiety for those that carry the most influence on students’ learning: teachers.

“I am disappointed by [the Maryland Department of Education’s] recent attempts to … strong-arm local schools systems into outcomes that do not best serve our students,” said Betty Weller, president of the statewide teachers union, in a 2013 letter addressed to state Superintendent Lillian Lowery.
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