The Maryland Education Association, also known as the Maryland State Education Association (MSEA), is a labor union of public school teachers in Maryland. Among other policies, the union wants to make starting salaries for teachers $60,000 a year by 2026; reduce standardized testing; increase the use of bias, diversity, equity, and cultural competency training; and place charter schools public under control of school boards. ^{1 2 3}

MSEA is a state-level affiliate of the National Education Association (NEA). ⁴

History

The Maryland Education Association (MSEA) was founded in 1865 as the Maryland State Teachers Association (MSTA). In 1951, MSTA and the Maryland Educational Association, the Black teachers’ union during segregation, merged. In 1968, the union was granted collective bargaining powers by the Maryland General Assembly. In 2002, MSTA supported the Bridge to Excellence in Public Schools Act which increases education funding across the state. ⁵

In 2009, MSTA changed its name to the Maryland State Education Association (MSEA). In 2017, MSEA supported the More Learning, Less Testing Act and Protect Our Schools Act which reduced the amount and emphasis on standardized testing. In 2018, MSEA campaigned for passage of Question 1, a state constitutional amendment that dedicates casino revenue to increase school funding. ⁵

Advocacy

Funding

In 2016, The Maryland State Department of Education released a report which claimed that the education systems in Maryland were underfunded by $2.9 billion. The Maryland State Education Association (MSEA) created the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future to give a guideline for increasing funding in Maryland’s public education system. MSEA pushed Question 1, a state constitutional amendment which directed some casino revenue to the education system, which increased funding by about $500 million. The blueprint also recommended the public education system increases starting salaries for teachers to $60,000 a year and hiring 15,000 more educators. ¹

Educator Voice

MSEA has advocated that the Maryland General Assembly add one active teacher and one parent to the Maryland State Board of Education. MSEA has also criticized the Maryland State Board of Education for hiring people who have no experience working in the school systems, claiming those people cannot provide enough meaningful insight on the school system and lack enough expertise to make effective education policies. MSEA advocates using collective bargaining powers to advocate and lobby for policies they want implemented in the public education system. ⁶

Racial and Social Policies

MSEA affirms that left-of-center concepts of racial, social, and economic justice are the “bedrock principle” on which every educator must stand if students, colleagues, and communities are going to meet MSEA’s goals and that institutional racism is a serious issue in Maryland public education. MSEA has been a strong advocate for same-sex marriage, in-state tuition rates for illegal immigrants through the Maryland Dream Act, and increasing funding for Historically Black Colleges and Universities. MSEA has also argued that students have been held back because standardized testing is “white centered.” MSEA has supported shifting education focus to social-emotional learning instead of formal learning practices. ²

Education Support Professionals

MSEA promotes an Education Support Professionals (ESPs) bill of rights that includes higher wages, lower workload, lower healthcare costs, increased job security, greater collective bargaining powers, and an end to privatization. ESPs include administrative assistants, custodians, bus drivers, technology staff, food workers, and paraeducators. ⁷

Testing

MSEA claims that standardized tests take away from learning, hurt students from becoming well-rounded in education, and hurts students’ love for school. MSEA argues that field trips and class projects are more useful for learning than testing and as a result schools should spend more time instructing and less time testing. MSEA has lobbied heavily to make these changes supported the More Learning, Less Testing Act and the Protect Our Schools Act. The More Learning, Less Testing Act set a 2.2% cap on the amount of instructional time which could be used for standardized testing, which MSEA claims eliminated 730 hours of testing across 18 districts when that Act was implemented. The Protect Our Schools Act made school success be judged on school climate, class size, and broader curriculum, and less on test scores. ⁸

Anti-Privatization Efforts

MSEA strongly opposes any form of privatization in education. MSE believes that private charter schools cannot be beneficial to students because their priority would be making a profit, not providing education. MSEA also believes that if private charter schools accept tax dollars from the government, they should be held to all the same requirements that public schools are. MSEA also opposes Maryland’s education voucher program, which gave certain low-income students up to a $5,000 voucher to attend private schools if their public schools were not meeting standards. MSEA opposes the program because it takes taxpayer money out of the public education system and puts it into the private education system. MSEA has publicly opposed voucher programs alongside left-leaning and government-advocacy groups such as the NAACP, League of Women Voters, Maryland PTA, and Maryland Association of Boards of Education. ³

1. “School Funding – Maryland State Education Association.” Maryland State Education Association – 76,000 Members Strong, September 20, 2023. https://marylandeducators.org/school-funding/.
2. “Racial and Social Justice – Maryland State Education Association.” Maryland State Education Association – 76,000 Members Strong, January 22, 2024. https://marylandeducators.org/combatting-institutional-racism/.
3. “Anti-Privatization Efforts – Maryland State Education Association.” Maryland State Education Association – 76,000 Members Strong, August 25, 2023. https://marylandeducators.org/vouchers-and-charter-schools/.
4. “FAQ – Maryland State Education Association.” Maryland State Education Association – 76,000 Members Strong, November 6, 2024. https://marylandeducators.org/faq/.
5.  “About MSEA – Maryland State Education Association.” Maryland State Education Association – 76,000 Members Strong, August 18, 2023. https://marylandeducators.org/about-msea/.
6. “Educator Voice – Maryland State Education Association.” Maryland State Education Association – 76,000 Members Strong, July 30, 2020. https://marylandeducators.org/educator-voice/.
7. “ Education Support Professionals – Maryland State Education Association.” Maryland State Education Association – 76,000 Members Strong, May 4, 2023. https://marylandeducators.org/about-msea/esp/#:~:text=Education%20support%20professionals%20(ESP)%20are,school%20offices%2C%20and%20bustling%20cafeterias.
8. “Testing – Maryland State Education Association.” Maryland State Education Association – 76,000 Members Strong, July 30, 2020. https://marylandeducators.org/testing/.