As the first quarter of this school year draws to a close, the Montgomery County Board of Education is already looking ahead to the start of the 2018 legislative session in January. As part of our planning, my Board colleagues and I adopted a legislative platform for the upcoming session earlier this month.
The Board began adopting a legislative platform in 2001, in preparation for the 2002 legislative session. Since that time, the development, adoption, and distribution of a platform statement prior to the beginning of each legislative session has enhanced the effectiveness of Board advocacy on the state budget and legislative issues.
The platform summarizes the Board’s positions on priority issues and serves as a foundation for our advocacy. In the coming months, we will consider our positions on additional legislative and budget issues that arise before and during the session. Similar to previous years, the 2018 Legislative Platform will be distributed to members of the Maryland General Assembly, partner organizations, and the community before and during the legislative session, and it will be posted on the Board of Education website.
This year, we expanded our section on mental health, focusing on additional funding to expand training for staff members on trauma-informed schools/care and additional funding to expand restorative justice supports. The Board also included advocacy for a regional recovery school to support our students recovering from substance abuse.
The link to our 2018 Legislative Platform is here. If you have any questions, or you would like to request a hard copy, please contact Ms. Swanson at Patricia_R_Swanson@mcpsmd.org or call 301-279-3617.