With a new poll showing education as the top priority for voters, Gov. Robert Ehrlich and his Democratic challenger, Baltimore Mayor Martin O?Malley, offered new plans to improve schools. Both emphasized the need for more outstanding principals, as O?Malley continued to rip Ehrlich?s record.
Ehrlich said his next budget would include $1.6 million to establish a leadership academy for principals. O?Malley, in a news conference at the Baltimore County teachers union, said he would offer $200,000 signing bonuses to recruit principals for the state?s lowest?performing schools.
Ehrlich also proposed spending $800,000 in planning funds to establish a quality teacher compensation plan that would base additional pay on improved student performance, especially in subject areas with critical shortages. “We must continue to raise the bar and try new models to improve student performance,” the governor said.
O?Malley emphasized leadership. “I have yet to visit a school that was making good progress that did not have a really good principal,” he said. The best compensation plan for teachers is “to make sure their salaries and their benefits keep pace” with the cost of living, he said.
