What’s Changed Since 2002?

For one thing, there was no Blue Ivy Carter u2026

…but there was the Bridge to Excellence Act (also known as the Thornton Plan), which the General Assembly passed in 2002 thanks to MSEA’s advocacy. It was an “historic” accomplishment according to the New York Times. Thornton funding helped make Maryland the nation’s highest rated school system five years in a row.

In 2002, Marshall Mathers was already dropping f-bombs and albums and The Eminem Show was the biggest selling album of 2002.

What’s bigger than Eminem was in 2002? Let’s talk about the gains Maryland made when the effects of Bridge to Excellence funding shifted into gear. Here’s a sample:

In 2002, for better or worse…there was no Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram and so fewer people had reason to worry about there, their, and they’re.

But since then, we’ve had a lot to to worry about when you look at the big picture for our schools:

It’s clear: after 15 years, we need a new plan to improve funding for our schools.

The gains that Maryland made thanks to Thornton funding have slowed — and in some cases reversed — as changing demographics have challenged resources and the underfunding of our schools has grown to $2.9 billion.

It’s time to get our students the level of funding that they deserve. And it’s time for us to speak up. Come to a public hearing on Kirwan or get involved in MSEA’s campaign to raise school funding.