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David Warnock: New direction with

new leadership to turn Baltimore around.
David Warnock knows that a quality education creates opportunity,
and every child in Baltimore deserves a school where they can learn,
grow and thrive.
Strengthen public schools in every neighborhood to ensure
every child has the opportunity to thrive.
David Warnock knows that families and children do better when there
are after-school programs, healthcare, mental health resources, adult
education, workforce training and community services available in
each neighborhood. Every public school should be a community school
where children and families can get more than a good education
they can get the resources they need to succeed. Students attending
community schools have lower levels of chronic absence, improved
daily attendance, and nearly double the level of parent engagement
as traditional schools in Baltimore.
To bring the benefits of a community schools strategy in Baltimore, we need to:
Double the number of Baltimore City public schools that are designated as community schools to 122 by
2019, with the goal of making every public school a community school by 2023.

BY AU T H ORIT Y OF DAVID WARN O C K F O R B A LT I M O R E, SA M UEL HO PK I N S , T R EAS UR ER .

www.DavidWarnockForBaltimore.com

Double the number of citywide slots available for students to participate in after-school programming,
including raising $25.5M from public and private sources to ensure every student in middle school when
strong support and guidance are critical has access to after-school programming.
Bring resources directly to families and children in Baltimores neighborhoods by relocating certain
city, nonprofit and faith-based services from central offices to Baltimore City public schools, including
case management, mental health services, housing services, lead paint testing and preventative health
screenings provided by city and state agencies like the Department of Social Services and the Baltimore
City Health Department.
Set real, actionable goals to improve student achievement and begin working toward them.
David Warnock knows that for Baltimores students to compete in a global workforce, we cant stop until every
student meets and exceeds state and national averages. For example, in 3rd grade reading, Baltimore
City lags behind the state average by more than 25%. Thats not just statistics that represents thousands of
Baltimore City students who are left behind every year. Baltimore City residents deserve a mayor who works
toward this goal, and takes responsibility for meeting those benchmarks.
To begin closing the gap in school performance between students in Baltimore City and students across the
state, we need to:
Bring the number of third graders in Baltimore City reading at grade level on par with the Maryland state
average 37% by 2023. In 2015, only 11% of Baltimore City Public Schools 4th graders were proficient
in reading by the most widely accepted national standard, the National Assessment of Educational
Progress. Set similar goals for math and science educational attainment.

BY AU T H ORIT Y OF DAVID WARN O C K F O R B A LT I M O R E, SA M UEL HO PK I N S , T R EAS UR ER .

www.DavidWarnockForBaltimore.com

Increase the college completion rate for Baltimore City public schools graduates over the next eight
years, moving the number of students who enroll and graduate from four-year colleges to above 50%. In
2012, only 44% of Baltimore City public schools graduates went on to 2-and 4-year colleges, and only
32.4% of the most recent class the Class of 2006 had graduated within six years.
Work with partners in the private sector to fully fund YouthWorks and ensure that every young person
in Baltimore has access to summer, and after-school, employment, and work to reduce the total youth
unemployment rate in Baltimore currently more than 40% for youth ages 16 to 19 in each of the next
five years.
Build a plan for success for every child.
David Warnock believes every child should have an individualized plan for success created collaboratively
with parents and teachers. Baltimores public school system serves more than 80,000 children every year, and
every student deserves a customized approach. When teachers, parents and the community collaborate in the
best interest of every child, whole communities begin to thrive. Investing in our childrens future is the greatest
investment we can make in our citys future.
To make sure every Baltimore City student is set on a path to success, we need to:
Expand the individualized student success plans for every student, piloted at Green Street Academy,
to 12 additional schools in FY2017, with the goal of developing a customized approach for each of our
school systems more than 80,000 students by 2023.
Make mentoring a critical component of keeping students on the pathways to success, working to recruit
mentors for every child in Baltimore City by founding the Mayors Office of Children and Families to
connect family-serving, non-profit and faith-based organizations with public schools and students in
Baltimores neighborhoods.
From birth to college and career, help kids stay on the path to success.
David Warnock believes every family should have the support they need to set their child on a path to success.
Too often, our children fall through the cracks during difficult transition points, such as middle school to high
school, and high school to college.
To ensure students in Baltimore City schools stay on a path to success, we need to:
Leverage current and new public-private partnerships to integrate 8 additional Judy Centers into
neighborhoods across Baltimore, increasing access to centrally located early childhood education and
family support services for children from birth to kindergarten, especially in neighborhoods that are not
currently served by Judy Centers, such as northwest and northeast Baltimore.
Ensure career programs, especially certifications, offered to Baltimore City Public Schools students are
aligned with private sector employment needs in Baltimore City, especially jobs of the future in sectors
like healthcare and green construction and energy.

BY AU T H ORIT Y OF DAVID WARN O C K F O R B A LT I M O R E, SA M UEL HO PK I N S , T R EAS UR ER .

www.DavidWarnockForBaltimore.com

Enroll 1,000 students in dual credit partnership programs with colleges and universities, where students
can earn credits toward both high school graduation and toward a college degree, by 2019.

Work with community organizations, mentoring groups, and social service agencies to develop schoolbased education and prevention programs focusing on high school youth, including partnering with law
enforcement agencies to bring police-community relations programming in Baltimore.
Hold our school system accountable and increase investment in our public school system.
David Warnock believes parents, community members and voters have the right to know how their tax dollars
are being spent. Only then can we increase Baltimore Citys investment in the school system.
To hold our school system accountable, so that every student counts, we need to:
Commission annual, independent audits of the Baltimore City Public School System to create accountability
for taxpayers, students and parents, and make sure that we can count every child attending our public
schools. By making our school spending public through annual audits, parents and community members
will know where their tax dollars are going and will be able to advocate for the priorities that matter to
them.
Use audit findings to cut waste and streamline inefficiencies. In 2015, after an internal audit, Baltimore
City Public Schools found $3.6M in spending on fraudulent healthcare benefits. With audit findings,
develop a plan that will increase the proportion of funds going directly to the classroom, and decrease the
proportion of funding that is used in central administration of the school district.
Set measurable goals to increase the legally required minimum Maintenance of Effort dollars that
Baltimore City designates for the Baltimore City Public School System, directing additional funding
directly to the classroom to benefit Baltimore City students.

BY AU T H ORIT Y OF DAVID WARN O C K F O R B A LT I M O R E, SA M UEL HO PK I N S , T R EAS UR ER .

www.DavidWarnockForBaltimore.com

Bring best practices to the school systems operations.

David Warnock knows that across the country, school districts are innovating for improved educational outcomes
and more efficient operations. The Baltimore City Public School System should be a leader in these efforts.
To be a leader in school-based innovation, we need to:
Use state-of-the-art technology to make online courses available to students, which can be used for
credit recovery and for advanced studies. We will arm Baltimore City teachers with the skills to deliver a
blended learning curriculum and lesson plans to students needing credit recovery, as well as to students
taking on new subject areas.
Redevelop the excess properties owned by the Baltimore City Public School System, using a land
bank model, rather than continue to pay for the maintenance of empty school buildings. Work with the
school system, Baltimore Housing, the Baltimore City Comptrollers Department of Real Estate, and
neighborhood stakeholders to create a plan and a disposition strategy for school buildings no longer in
use that continue to serve our youth.
Take responsibility for promoting and encouraging school pride, and restoring schools as hubs of activity
in our community. Educate the public and parents on the excellent options within Baltimore Citys public
school system, using a public education campaign to promote excellent schools within Baltimore City, as
well as get the public involved in promotion, events on school property, school spirit activities, and public
service announcements on TV and radio about our great schools.
Invest in student entrepreneurship, get our businesses involved in community schools and create
educational opportunities for students and streams of income for our schools, through programs like
Green Street Academy Farms and Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship.
Invest in our teachers and principals to get Baltimore City Public Schools back on track.
David Warnock knows that each year, Baltimore City Public Schools begin the school year with both teacher and
principal vacancies last year, 19.5% of schools had principal turnover, and 12.4% of teachers left the district in
2014 thats one in eight teachers.
To retain and recruit the best talent for Baltimore City public schools, we need to:
Increase the retention rate for principals in Baltimore City by creating the Mayors Leadership Academy,
investing in a robust professional development and peer support program for transformational principals
in Baltimore City Public Schools.
Reward teachers who are excelling in their classrooms by creating an Innovation Fund that encourages
the exchange of ideas and adoption of school-based innovation using peer networking and grant funding.
Work with the Baltimore Teachers Union to develop a centralized teacher training academy, using stateof-the-art technology to ensure all teachers have access to the education and resources they need to
succeed in their classrooms.

BY AU T H ORIT Y OF DAVID WARN O C K F O R B A LT I M O R E, SA M UEL HO PK I N S , T R EAS UR ER .

www.DavidWarnockForBaltimore.com

Give parents a voice.

David Warnock believes parents and community members should have a say in what happens in their local
school, and that means supporting a partially elected Board of School Commissioners. David believes parents,
not status-quo politicians, should decide our childrens future.
To ensure parents have a voice in their local school system, we need to:
During the next Maryland General Assembly legislative session, make partially elected school board
legislation a part of the Mayors official Baltimore City Legislative Agenda for 2017.
Work with the private and philanthropic center to provide funding and technical assistance to parent-led
organizations and school family councils, working to increase parent engagement in our school system
and encouraging parents to have a voice within their neighborhood schools administration.
David Warnock knows this is the most important election in a generation. The stakes couldnt be higher. This
election will be the difference between us writing the greatest turnaround story of America, or slipping backwards
into permanent decline. Baltimore needs a leader with a proven record of getting things done, who can get city
government working for its people again.

BY AU T H ORIT Y OF DAVID WARN O C K F O R B A LT I M O R E, SA M UEL HO PK I N S , T R EAS UR ER .