Bowie State Cuts Ribbon for New Martin Luther King Jr. Center, Honors 1st Lt. Richard Collins
Bowie State held a ribbon cutting on Aug. 27 for the Martin Luther King Jr. Center, a new 192,000-square-foot building that will serve as the home base for the school’s communications and humanities students, as well as for the historically Black college’s military science program. The celebration did not only serve as an introduction to the building, but a moment to honor an important part of Bowie State’s history and legacy.
The new center also has a two-story tall likeness of the late 1st Lt. Richard Collins, a Bowie State University student who was murdered in a hate crime at the University of Maryland, College Park in May 2017.
“We are thrilled that the university continues to remember our son. What happened to him seven years ago is something no parent should ever have to endure,” said Dawn Collins, the mother of the fallen lieutenant. “My son was ready to give his life for this country, and to have his life taken away from him because someone viewed him as ‘other’ is despicable. It’s momentous that the university would do this, and it’s so befitting that it’s in the MLK center.”
The center will house the Communications, History and Government, Language, Literature and Cultural Studies, and Military Sciences departments.
The facility includes 18 general classrooms, a 1,500-seat auditorium, two lecture halls, two TV studios and radio station studios, an ROTC plaza, do-it-yourself recording studios, and a screening room.
Bowie State University President Aminta Breaux, University System of Maryland Chancellor Jay A. Perman, Maryland Lieutenant Governor Aruna Miller (D), Comptroller Brooke Lierman (D), Democratic District 23 Delegates Marvin Holmes and Kym Taylor, and Bowie Mayor Tim Adams were all on hand for the ribbon cutting.
“Every student receiving a BSU education will pass through this building at some point in their curriculum,” said Breaux in a statement. “The cutting-edge tools and resources found here will elevate instruction of the liberal arts and enable students to find their own voice and develop skills to navigate real-world challenges in their future careers.”
Maryland Board of Education to Potentially Revise Controversial Third-Grade Retention Policy
A proposed aspect of Maryland’s new literacy plan that holds third graders back who aren’t testing proficiently for reading in accordance with state standards is under review after some criticism.
Nick Greer, a State Board of Education Baltimore parent representative and School Board Member Joan Mele-McCarthy held criticism of the potential implementation of this policy, in regards to parents agreeing to additional support for the students outside of schools including summer school programs or before or after-school tutoring.
Greer said he wanted the term ‘waiver’ to be changed to ‘informed consent’ in the policy, likening it to a recommendation from a medical professional, while Mele-McCarthy said that instructional support during the school day would be more accessible for students and recommended athletic and team activities as alternatives to .
Board of Education Vice President Monica Goldson, who formerly led the Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) system, said she believes the proposed changes would lead to long-term results and improvements.
The board’s leadership has emphasized that improving literacy is a core issue for their membership.
“This focus on literacy is a top-line priority for us as we look to truly transform educational experiences for all children in Maryland,” said State Board of Education President Joshua Michael. “This is urgent work. We’re going to be deliberate in how we proceed.”
The Board of Education received feedback from nearly 1,000 commenters in response to their proposed literacy plan, which they aim to finalize and bring forward in September and be implemented the following school year. The retention policy would not be implemented until the 2026-2027 school year.
“We’ve gotten [a lot of feedback], not just through the website, but we’ve received personal emails, written letters,” explained Deann Collins, deputy state superintendent in the department’s Office of Teaching and Learning. “The time that folks have taken to say thank you is remarkable. We just wanted to make sure people know that we are listening. We will continue to listen.”
New State Superintendent Carey Wright has included this policy as a measure to improve student achievement and literacy. In her time reforming education in Mississippi, the state made massive improvements in literacy.
Last school year, 48.1% of Maryland students achieved proficiency scores in English language arts, an increase over the year prior, but with Prince George’s students at 36.1% proficiency.
Wright called the slight improvements “disappointing.”
“Those gains don’t happen overnight. They take time. It takes time to train teachers to get it moving with fidelity in schools,” said Rachel McCusker, a Board of Education member and a public school teacher in Carroll County. “It just makes a mindset to understand that changes in education don’t just happen.”
The Washington Informer has previously covered the proposed plans of State Superintendent Wright and the State Board of Education; read more here.
DuVal Football Field Shut Down For Repairs, Glass and Refuse Found in Topsoil
The football field at Lanham’s Duval High School has been shut down for repairs after glass, rocks, and other hazards were found in the newly renovated topsoil.
Longtime DuVal Softball Coach Laurie Hunt took to social media and former softball coach Ken Hunt was featured on NBC4 to raise awareness about the debris.
Maryland State Senator Alonzo Washington (D-District 22) listened and reacted to concerns from staff and students.
“There was glass throughout the field, and the soil that they provided here, there was large rocks. There was feces of birds and dogs that were in this field,” said Washington.
The state senator said funding has been secured to fix the field.
Sam Stefanelli, the director of Building Services for PGCPS, said that the second load of soil that was laid by a contracting company didn’t have staff supervision and had “quite a bit of material” that contaminated the field, including gravel and glass.
A message left with the school’s athletic director has not been returned at the time of the print deadline.
Gov. Moore Warns of Potential Adjustments to State Education Plan
Maryland’s Blueprint for Education, a nearly $4 billion investment including pledges to expand pre-K, adjust school curriculums, and improve the state’s teacher workforce, is potentially facing cutbacks due to budgetary concerns.
Gov. Wes Moore (D) announced these concerns at the Maryland Association of Counties meeting in Ocean City, but provided few details about what could be cut or altered.
Former Republican Gov. Larry Hogan vetoed this plan, but the veto was overridden by the legislature in 2021.
“I believe in the tenants of the Blueprint, I believe that we need to make sure we have a world-class education system. I believe we need to have an education system that does start earlier,” said Moore during an interview on FOX45 News. “I believe we need to have an education system that focuses on career technical education and creating more pathways into the workforce for our students.”
During a televised segment with Maryland Public Television, Moore defended the Blueprint and its goals of addressing educational disparities and additional academic support for students.
Earlier this year, Moore announced $150 million in cuts from the budget to cover higher-than-expected childcare and healthcare costs.
Both Moore and Maryland State Sen. President Bill Ferguson (D-District 46) were opposed to tax increases last year, but that may change this year as the state budget is facing increasing shortfalls each upcoming year for the foreseeable future.
House Appropriations Chair Vanessa Atterbeary (D-District 13) and Speaker Adrienne Jones (D-District 10) have both been more supportive of tax increases to fund state priorities.