As Marylanders, we take pride in our schools. Right now they're not always able to meet our high standards because too many of our school districts don't have the resources they need. Students from low-income families and communities of color are the most likely to go to an under-funded school.

At the same time, we have an upside-down tax code that asks the least of those most able to pay, and which is full of loopholes placed there by special interests. These policies take away resources that could be going to our schools and other community priorities. If we take a few steps to clean up our tax code, we can raise the revenues to provide a world-class education to every student.

The Blueprint for Maryland's Future

A state commission researched education best practices from around the world and has proposed major new investments in our schools over the next year so that every child in Maryland can get a great education. Legislators will be considering these proposals in the 2020 legislative session as part of the Blueprint for Maryland's Future, including:

• Universal pre-K for 4-year olds and expanded access for 3-year-olds from low-income families
• Additional supports for children facing barriers to learning
• Higher salaries and greater professional support to help recruit and retain great teachers
• Expanded career and technical education and early college programs so that every student is college- or career-ready when they graduate high school.

Clean Up Our Tax Code

Cleaning up our broken tax code will raise the revenues Maryland needs to make a long-term commitment to good schools while continuing the many other essential public investments that are at the foundation of thriving communities.

1. Clean up our tax code. Close corporate tax loopholes that only benefit large, multi-state corporations and their shareholders so that these companies contribute to the services they rely on. Local Maryland businesses can't take advantage of these tax gimmicks.
2. Remove special interest tax breaks. Maryland gives away millions in business tax breaks, despite significant evidence that they do nothing to boost our economy
3. Improve our upside-down tax system. Restructuring Maryland’s income tax will enable us to raise significant revenue and reduce income taxes on most low- and middle-income Marylanders.

The Maryland Fair Funding Coalition is a group of more than a dozen organizations across the state that have come together to ensure that Maryland has the resources it needs to support great schools and thriving communities across the state. We support closing corporate loopholes and fixing our upside-down tax code that allows the richest 1 percent to avoid paying their fair share in taxes so that all our schools have the resources they need and every child can get a great education.