Summer is upon us, and parents, children and teachers are winding down from what has been an exhausting and fully operational school year—the first since the devastating pandemic. The long-lasting impact of COVID-19 has affected our students’ and families’ well-being and ignited the politics surrounding public schools. All signs point to the coming school year unfolding with the same sound and fury, and if extremist culture warriors have their way, being even more divisive and stressful.

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Community schools provide wrap-around services that help close the gap between students' needs and their ability to focus on school and learning. Baltimore is fortunate to have a number of community schools that serve students and families as well as the communities the schools are in. One of those schools is Wolfe Street Academy, a school that went from a low-ranking status several years ago to top-ranking, going remarkably from the 77th rank elementary school to the 2nd in the span of a decade. The school was the site of a visit from AFT President Randi Weingarten. She was joined on the visit by AFT-Maryland President Kenya Campbell and Baltimore Teachers Union President Diamonté Brown. CLICK TO READ > > > MORE

AFT Maryland is happy to celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. The term encapsulates a wide array of different cultures, ethnicities, and regional dialects. Each bubbling with unique customs and traditions that offer valuable ways of knowing that contribute to the larger American community. The Asian/Pacific diaspora stretches across vast territories giving us Americans with ancestral roots from Samoa, Fiji, Tonga, and the Marshall Islands, to Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, and the Philippines just to name a few.
 

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Baltimore City Public School System is taking action to address the climate crisis. The system is among the first in the state unveiling their new fleet of electric school buses in a press conference and ribbon cutting ceremony on January 30, 2024. The event featured BCPSS CEO Dr. Sonia Santelises and federal officials from the EPA and Vice-President Harris’s office discussing the impact this fleet will have on students, families, and communities. AFT-Maryland President Kenya Campbell and City Union of Baltimore (CUB) local 800 President Antoinette Ryan-Johnson were also on hand as the new fleet of buses will involve federation members from the Baltimore Teachers Union local 340, and from CUB. 

Read on for more about the event!

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MEMBERS! Join AFT-Maryland and our members from the BTU, CUB, MCEA, MPEC, MSDFSA, AFT Healthcare-Maryland, AFT/AAUP, United Academics Maryland, BCFPE, BCFPHN, and other AFT unions as we travel to Annapolis to talk with our representatives about our issues in the 2024 Legislative Session.

Read on for information on how to RSVP to reserve your spot on the bus.

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Maryland Professional Employees Council (MPEC) Local 6197, kicked off a contract campaign for state workers in Unit G. The union is in negotiations with the state for a new contract and is seeking to educate members on the existing contract, as well as rally support for demands to be included in the new contract. To accomplish this, the union will visit worksites from late October through mid-November.

Read on for more about the campaign, and photos from the Kick-off Event!

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