Right now, our public schools can’t deliver on the promise of success to every student in every community in Maryland. There’s simply not enough funding dedicated to public education. Independent analysts say we now have a $3 billion funding shortage—that means each of our schools is underfunded by an average of more than $2 million every year.

No matter your neighborhood, your income, or your race, there should be a strong public school for every child in Maryland. The first step in getting there—and closing that funding gap—is the Fix the Fund Act—a law that would ensure that all revenue raised into the Education Trust Fund from casino gaming actually increases school funding.

Since 2012, $1.7 billion has gone into the Education Trust Fund from casino revenues, but it hasn’t increased funding for schools and students as intended. Instead, the same amount of money that was already going to education was redirected to other areas of the budget. Passing the Fix the Fund Act would prevent that from ever happening again and result in an increase of $500 million in school funding. It’s a promising first step to closing the funding gap before the legislature passes the new school funding formula in 2019.

It’s time for change. Our students deserve better.

Join us in Annapolis on March 19 at 6 p.m. as we March to Fix the Fund!