During my years as a teacher at Patapsco High School, I taught in a so-called “learning cottage,” more commonly known as a trailer. We had to put a piece of plywood over a hole in the floor in year one. Year two saw a metal plate installed. By year three, the floor was finally “fixed.”
I become a teacher in the Baltimore County public school system because of the advantages my own education in the system had given me. I was a first generation college graduate and education had unlocked my potential. I wanted to help do the same for other kids.
But I quickly learned that the conditions for too many of our kids are unacceptable, and not conducive to learning. My experience as a teacher in our public school is one of the primary reasons I’m running to be the next county executive – I want to give our kids the best possible education they can get.
That means taking action now.
[perfectpullquote align=”full” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]Every $1 spent on pre-K results in an $8.90 return on investment — a meaningful financial benefit to society.[/perfectpullquote]
In my campaign for Baltimore County Executive, I’ve toured a dozen schools across Baltimore County, from Johnnycake to Dulaney and Lansdowne to Patapsco. I’ve seen the brown drinking water at Dulaney; sinking hallways at Lansdowne; overcrowded classrooms at Towson; and sweltering heat at Patapsco.
My opponent thinks trailers are a fine solution to overcrowding*. I do not.
In fact, I believe that we’re shortchanging our kids and our future. We have to do more to rebuild our schools, so that every child has access to a world-class education and a school they and their parents can be proud of.
We also have to create a system where every student has the chance to work with classmates before they hit grade school. Decades of research show that pre-K has a positive effect. The benefits are non-discriminatory, with a sweeping impact on children of all backgrounds.
Research has found that children who attended preschool had higher earnings, committed fewer crimes, were more likely to hold a job and were more likely to have graduated from high school than those who did not. Every $1 spent on pre-K results in an $8.90 return on investment — a meaningful financial benefit to society.
My opponent, however, does not believe such an investment is worthwhile. The differences in this race, especially on educational issues, could not be more dramatic.
The fight for our schools is worth having. Just one example: last year, one of my former students approached me in a local restaurant. He had been an average student, and he wasn’t very involved in school activities. I had mentored this young man, encouraging him in academics and social activities. I wanted him – as I wanted all of my students – to dream big about what they could accomplish, to push beyond the limitations that others had set before them.
So when he approached me 10 years later, I was overwhelmed to learn that he was coming to thank me for helping to instill in him a confidence that materialized after high school. He had recently joined a local union, learned a trade, and was getting married and starting a family in our hometown. He wanted me to know that the belief that I and other teachers had in him was something that stuck with him and helped him believe in himself. His teachers helped plant a seed. Often times, we don’t see the fruit of the seeds we plant until much later – not only the good seeds, but the bad ones.
On the campaign trail, I often say that I’m running for the future – one that I see through my almost three-year-old daughter’s eyes.
If I’m lucky enough to be elected in November and serve two terms, my daughter will be an 11-year old middle schooler with her life trajectory largely set, along with tens of thousands of other Baltimore County children. That’s also true for tens of thousands of children for whom the seeds will have been planted.
Now is the time to plant good seeds for all our children. We can’t afford to wait for a ten-year plan. We can’t afford not to give our children the best education possible now. As Baltimore County Executive, I will fight every day to ensure every Baltimore County student has access to a world-class education and a bright future.
John “Johnny O” Olszewski, Jr. is the Democratic nominee for Baltimore County Executive
*46:25 minute mark: https://www.facebook.com/baltimoresun/videos/2151378981600004/?t=2762