Primary Focus: Four MD Gubernatorial Candidates on Education

In 2022, Maryland will hold another governor election. This article will list the top four leading candidates for Governor, two from each party and their opinions on education. The information has been gathered from their respective campaign websites. Maryland ranks 4th nationwide in education from Kindergarten to 12th grade, and it is home to many prestigious higher educational institutions, such as Johns Hopkins and the University of Maryland. 

Republican delegate Dan Cox includes various opinions regarding education on his campaign website. He opposes critical race theory, which seems to be key to his campaign. Cox also disclosed that he dislikes the employment procedures outlined in the 32 billion dollar Kirwin bill which provided funding to education. While you may agree or disagree with his ideals, it has been made clear he is very passionate about education.

Peter Franchot is a Democrat, the current frontrunner in the primary, and has a website page dedicated to education in Maryland. He plans to “provide a more comprehensive, fully resourced model that equips students with the knowledge, skills, and self-confidence they need to thrive in the modern economy.” It appears that Franchot has attempted to concoct a plan to improve educational outcomes in the state if were to be elected. 

Fellow Democrat Tom Perez has also been very vocal about education, with a page dedicated to PreK–12 education. On his campaign website, he says that “all children in the state deserve access to quality education” and that “equity in education is crucial.” If elected governor, he says he commits to raising funding for education statewide, citing a study in 2017 that found the average Maryland school is underfunded by 2 million dollars. 

Republican Kelly Schulz features education on the frontpage of her campaign website. She advocates keeping schools open and said in a video that “teachers unions are more concerned with power than the education of our children.” Schulz thinks that it is also crucial to get children the “world-class education that they deserve.” Reforming teachers’ unions seems to be a major part of her plan if she were elected. 

In conclusion, the four frontrunners, two from each party, have broad and varied opinions on education. Maryland schools used to be number one in the nation in terms of test scores and academic achievements, but we have since dropped to 4th place nationwide. With education being very important to Marylanders, you may want to weigh all four major candidates and think about what they would do if they were elected.