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"This new school police plan is very disturbing to us at the Baltimore Teachers Union because we are now asking teachers, PSRPs, and principals to be responsible for one more thing other than the educational instruction of our city's students. Our members are not police..."

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Statement from BTU President, Marietta English on Baltimore Sun Article from 02/18/15: "City schools face $60 million deficit even without state cuts"

Baltimore, MD- Baltimore City's impending budget deficit is a serious problem that needs to be addressed. Any suggestion that the teacher contract is in large part responsible for the school system's deficit is not earnest on its face.

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Baltimore, MD - On Tuesday October 21, 2014, AFT-Maryland in conjunction with the Baltimore Teachers Union, Maryland Communities United, the Center for Popular Democracy, and the Central Labor Council will rally outside City Hall for community schools. The organizations will join with hundreds of parents, students and community members to call for support from Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake and the Baltimore City Council on the school initiative that has been improving Baltimore schools and communities.  The groups are looking for a resolution from the City Council and a financial commitment from the mayor's office of $2.2 million in this academic year and $10 million next year to fully fund exciting and emerging community schools.

The AFT National Convention continues in the city of Detroit with AFT members discussing new ways of maintaining quality education and essential public services in the face of threats presented by corporate and special interests. Across the nation, those interests have sponsored anti-union attacks and have promoted budget cuts that require the elimination of jobs for teachers and public workers. The more than 3,000 delegates attending the 82nd AFT National Convention, however, have been inspired by the remarks of President Randi Weingarten, who told convention attendees that AFT would pursue a new vision of unionism. Weingarten told convention delegates that AFT must pursue “solution driven unionism,” an approach that focuses on uniting union members and creating solutions to the problems that plague working people and their communities.

The Maryland Senate has voted to shift of some of the cost of teacher pensions to Baltimore City and the state’s counties as part of an efforts to avoid more than $500 million in so-called Doomsday budget cuts originally scheduled to take effect on  July 1.

The House voted 86-51 for the that will begin splitting teacher pension costs between the state and local jurisdictions over the next four years. In the Senate, the vote on the measure that included the teacher pension shift was 33-13.

AFT-Maryland and its affiliate, the Baltimore Teachers Union, have long opposed shifting the cost of pensions to local governments.  Many local jurisdictions, such as the City of Baltimore, already suffer from budget deficits.

AFT-Maryland President says "attitudes" indicate cooperation is possible between school administrations and educators.

The AFT-Maryland President joins national education experts at a conference on innovative labor-management strategies that can enhance student learning.