FROM ANNAPOLIS

Wednesday, May 30th
School Discipline
Discussion # 2

Glenn Dale Fire Association, 11900 Glenn Dale Blvd 
6:30pm to 8:30pm

Coming Soon
Meeting with BGE on
power outages in the
Woodmore area.

Fr. Annapolis, Issue 2, May '07
Fr. Annapolis, Issue 1, Feb. '07

Maryland General Assembly
SUPPORT
 
DELEGATE LEVI
 

The Three Steps to Our Economic Future

 

Step 1: Stabilize the 4-Walls of the Classroom

Why are teachers leaving the classroom in droves? Nearly half of teachers leave the profession after 5 years. Sure, teacher pay is an issue, but classroom discipline is both driving talented teachers from the profession and, importantly, limiting the amount of student learning occurring in the classroom. A complete review of all state laws affecting public school disciplinary policies and procedures is needed now so that Prince George’s County schools can attract and retain the best teaching talent and improve student achievement.


Step 2: More State Help for Our Crime “Hot Spots”

Prince George’s County is in the midst of a crime surge. A 1997 state program, the Maryland Hot Spots Communities Initiative, should get state help again. The program helped cut crime in the state’s “hot spots” by, for example, combining community-based teams of police and probation officers, and jointly supervising high-risk adult and juvenile offenders. Other “hot spots” initiatives should be tailored to specific neighborhoods, and deal with specific problems, such as: 1) truancy and other “feeder crimes”, or those small crimes that lead to bigger ones; and 2) carjacking and car thefts by using available tech­nology to fight both types of crime. For example, the Maryland Automobile Insurance Fund is making steering wheel locks available to some policyholders in Prince George’s County.


Step 3: Learn Math & Science in a Big Way and
Close the Achievement Gap

The global challenge is here and, quite simply, math and science education are key to compete for the high-paying jobs being created, to spark the business innovation that will lead to more high-paying jobs being created, and to draw economic development to the County. In one recent period, low-wage employers, such as Wal-Mart (now the nation’s largest employer) and McDonald’s, created 44% of the new jobs, while high-wage employers created only 29% of the new jobs.* Here are a few other economic facts:

• Maryland expects to gain 40,000 to 60,000 jobs as a result of the military base realignment largely at and around Fort Meade and Aberdeen Proving Grounds. At least 9,000 of those will be high-tech, highly-skilled and high-paying jobs. Are we prepared to compete for those jobs?

• Nearly 5,000 companies have expanded or relocated in Maryland and nearly 100,000 jobs have been created in the past three years.** Just 20 of those 5,000 companies expanded or relocated in Prince George’s County, and just 4,000 of those 100,000 jobs were created here it is estimated.*** Our 23A state leaders must lead the way to bring those companies and jobs to our district and county.

To keep Prince George’s County competitive and to make it a magnet for future economic development, County students must be advanced in math and science. Yet in 2006, just 11.8% of Bowie High School students were advanced in algebra, 3.6% at Duval and 9% at Flowers. Also, the achievement gap between Black and Hispanic elementary school children and their White and Asian counterparts must be closed.

 

Sources
No Dream Denied, National Commission on Teaching on America's Future, 2003
Maryland Report Card (www.marylandreportcard.com)
* Rising Above the Gathering Storm: Energizing and Employing America for a Brighter Future,
National Academy of Sciences, 2005.
** Maryland Dept. of Business & Economic Development, The Daily Record, January 27, 2006.
*** Maryland Dept. of Business & Economic Development.

 



Endorsed by:


The Washington Post

Prince George's County Professional Fire Fighters
and Paramedics

Baltimore/Washington
Laborers' District Council

Bowie Blade News dubbed her Gerron "Sore Feet" Levi for visiting more than 8,000 homes in 23A

 

 

 

 

 
Contribution Disclaimer
A person (including an individual, business, or federal committee) can contribute no more than $4,000 to one campaign account and a total of $10,000 to all campaign accounts during the four-year election cycle.  The current cycle began on January 1, 2003 and ends December 31, 2006.  A Maryland committee or out-of-state committee can contribute $6,000 with no aggregate limit.  Contributions or gifts to Gerron Levi in 2006 are not tax deductible."
   
  Gerron Levi in 2006 | PO Box 197, Bowie, Maryland 20719 | 301.801.6121 | levi@levi2006.com | Merrill Smith, Treasurer