Ben Jealous is the education governor Maryland needs: Opposing View

Bill Duck | Opposing View

In less than a month, we will have a chance to go to the polls and vote for the person who will lead our state as governor. As a teacher and proud Marylander, I will be voting for Ben Jealous, and I hope you will join me.

I think about my students and the opportunities they’ll have in the next decade to find good-paying careers in a changing economy. I want to know that our state’s chief executive has a plan for our schools that embraces the future and invests in our students’ potential.

Current Gov. Larry Hogan is now running for re-election without releasing a forward-looking education plan, so we don’t know what he would do to improve our schools if given another four years to lead the state. I just don’t trust him when it comes to helping us as educators prepare students for their futures.

His challenger, Ben Jealous, comes from a family of educators and has made education a top priority in his grass-roots campaign for governor. He knows we need to make a critical new investment in transforming our schools to focus more on 21st century jobs skills and less on standardized testing. He has a plan to raise teacher pay here on the Eastern Shore so we can recruit and retain the best teachers for each of our classrooms.

Ben Jealous is the education governor our state needs to move us forward.

Bill Duck is a resident of Salisbury.

The Daily Times requested an “Opposing View” from each candidate. For those who the Editorial Board did not endorse, that letter appears next to Our View in an attempt to start a discussion and help readers reach their own conclusion.

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