March 14, 2011: Did O'Malley "Keep the Promise" to Teachers?

Union leaders for Maryland teachers offered some twisted logic as the premise for their "Keep the Promise" rally in Annapolis today.

Video Main Page Endorsements show wide support Key Legislative Areas: See What Nancy Has Been Working On for Maryland.

The union leadership has targeted state legislators through a letter sent last month to the rank-and-file members. It had the effect of alienating long-time legislative supporters of the union including former teachers who are now legislators (see the MarylandReporter.com blog: Sen. McFadden Upset at Teacher's Union Letter, click here).

The letter claims that legislators have underfunded education by $100 million. The simple truth, however, is that it was actually Governor Martin O'Malley who cut the state's education funding.

Maryland has a strong "executive power" budget. Once the governor creates the budget - the General Assembly cannot add to it.

Thus, the culprit-in-chief of education funding woes is O'Malley yet he is being held harmless by the union leadership.

Today, the rank-and-file should bluntly ask the union leadership: "Tell us truthfully - did O'Malley 'Keep the Promise' to teachers?"

In 2006, O'Malley promised to fully fund the Thornton "Bridge to Excellence" education mandates. However, last year he became the first Governor in state history to cut the basic Thornton funding formula.

This year, he continues to break his promise and reduces the Thornton formulas. Thus, the budget introduced by O'Malley cuts education funding by almost 5%.

No matter how hard the educators protest against their Senators and Delegates today, the legislators are powerless to restore education funding to the state budget. Only O'Malley has that power through the submittal of supplemental budgets.

In 2007, O'Malley championed the most historic increase in Maryland taxes with the promise to cure the structural deficit and solve the long-term pension problem. Neither has been accomplished.

Instead, O'Malley proposed his own pension reform bill this year that would require teachers to contribute an additional 2% out-of-pocket to maintain the current multiplier. To pour salt in the teacher's wounds, O'Malley then shifts $120 million of the additional contributions out of the pension fund to balance the state budget in 2012.

This year, the main issue for the rank-and-file teachers is loss of salary over the past 5 years while O'Malley has controlled the state budget. Furlough days, higher co-pays and higher costs of benefits have combined with 0% raises in most counties to decimate teacher morale.

Meanwhile, O'Malley offered state employees a new contract that mandates a $750 across the board raise this year, 5 paid furlough days classified as new administrative leave, a 2% COLA in 2013, and a 3% COLA in 2014 coupled with salary step increases. This new contract was ratified by AFSCME members last month - click here).

The contrast between O'Malley's treatment of these two unions is stark and yet they share the same stage at Lawyer's Mall tonight.

Each group should ask the same question - Has O'Malley kept his promises? But when that question is answered with the acknowledgment that O'Malley has treated the rank-and-file teachers unequally, one has to wonder why these two groups are standing together?