Questionnaire- Anne Kaiser - State Delegate Candidate (2010) Doc

House Candidate___________________

Maryland State Education Association Montgomery County Education Association – NEA

2010 Questionnaire For Candidates for Maryland Delegate

Candidate’s Name: Anne Kaiser Address: 14602 Wexhall Terrace City, Zip: Burtonsville 20866 Occupation: Legislator Legislative District: 14 Home Telephone: 301-890-4422 Office Telephone: 301-379-2663 Email: [email protected] Web Address: www.annekaiser.com Name of Campaign Contact & Telephone: Keith Walmsley; 443-822-1347 Name of Election Committee: Kaiser for Delegate Treasurer’s Name: Marian Kaiser Address: 3100 N. Leisure World Blvd., #501 City, Zip: Silver Spring 20906 I understand the answers obtained from this questionnaire will be circulated among your members and

will be posted on the MCEA website.

Date: April 18, 2010 Signature:




1. While our members recognize the fiscal challenges faced by the state, they are concerned about the possibility of shifting pension costs to the counties and how that would have an impact on local funding for schools systems. How would you ensure that solutions developed to deal with spending priorities, including pensions, do not hurt students and education employees?

My record demonstrates the strong emphasis I place on the needs of students and education employees. I think it would be a mistake to shift pension costs to the counties.

The following are MSEA position statements on critical issues in the MSEA Legislative Program. For each issue, please indicate whether you agree or disagree with the MSEA position. Be certain each comment clearly indicates your position. There is space provided for you to elaborate on your positions. Agree with the MSEA position statement – Would support legislation that reflects the MSEA position Disagree with the MSEA position statement – Would oppose legislation that reflects the MSEA position. 2. The existing Maintenance of Effort law dealing with a minimum level of local funding for public education

is intended to reinforce the shared responsibility between the state and counties for adequate funding of our public schools. MSEA is opposed to efforts to reduce or weaken the minimum funding requirement. Do you agree or disagree with MSEA’s position?

___X_____Agree with MSEA position ________Disagree with MSEA position Comment: Maintenance of effort is a misnomer. Simply providing the same funds as the prior year starves schools and does not keep pace with inflation. Maintenance of effort should be the floor for education funding, and in most years, that has been the case in Montgomery County. Given the dire economic conditions in the county and the influx of federal funds, I stood with all members of the Montgomery County delegation in requesting a waiver for maintenance of effort for Montgomery County for this past fiscal year. Maintenance of effort is, indeed, a smart law. It would be a smarter law if it accounted for inflation.




3. The Thornton Commission recommended an adjustment in State Education aid to reflect regional differences in the cost of providing educational services, called the Geographic Cost of Education Index (GCEI). MSEA believes GCEI is an integral part of full funding for the Thornton plan and should be included in the State’s school finance system.

____X____Agree with MSEA position ________Disagree with MSEA position Comment: GCEI is a vital part of Thornton funding and should always be included in the state’s funding of schools. State funding must address both horizontal and vertical equity. The state’s funding formulas must address the fact that it costs more to educate students in some counties. 4. Public schools accept and educate all students who enter them. Diversion of public funds from public

schools jeopardizes this mission. Therefore, MSEA opposes draining funds from public schools through private or religious school vouchers, direct state funds for programs, textbooks, technology, direct state aid to non-public schools at risk of closing, or tax credits for private school tuition.

____X____Agree with MSEA position ________Disagree with MSEA position Comment: I strongly agree with MSEA’s position. My voting record is clear on this issue.




5. As we look ahead to the next four years, we realize that budget and revenue changes are inevitable. To raise

additional revenues, MSEA supports full utilization of existing revenue producers (homestead tax credit and local income tax), spreading the base (combined reporting for corporations and sales tax on services), and reform of the state’s income tax brackets. Would you consider these options and do you have suggestions for additional revenue producers?

____X____Agree with MSEA position ________Disagree with MSEA position Comment: I believe we must examine each of the above suggestions as possible revenue producers. When weighing the relative merits of each proposal, we must measure its progressivity. 6. MSEA opposes contracting out, to the private sector, management and/or delivery of goods and services

traditionally provided by public school employees. ___X_____Agree with MSEA position ________Disagree with MSEA position Comment: I think that public sector work should be done by public sector employees.




7. MSEA opposes public funding of religious and private for-profit charter schools and kindergarten programs.

MSEA does not oppose public charter schools that meet the following criteria. • Are under the control of local school boards • All students are eligible • Are held to the same standards as other public schools • Staff members have the same collective bargaining rights as their counterparts in mainstream public

schools and • Must be qualitatively different from what is available in mainstream public schools and not just an

avenue for parental choice.

___X_____Agree with MSEA position ________Disagree with MSEA position Comment: 8. MSEA supports increased funding and resources at the national, state and local level for meaningful

professional development for school personnel. ____X____Agree with MSEA position ________Disagree with MSEA position Comment: Teachers must be treated like the professionals that they are. In the Governor’s Education Reform Act, the first provision was to increase tenure from 2 to 3 years and to also provide meaningful mentoring and professional development. I think it is especially important to provide mentoring and professional development to new teachers. Though, if lifelong learning is to be valued, we must provide meaningful professional development to all school personnel throughout their careers.




9. MSEA supports a comprehensive system of assessment and accountability that relies on multiple measures of student achievement and prohibits the use of a sole test for high-stakes decisions. High-stakes decisions about students and schools should not be made on the basis of one test.

___X_____Agree with MSEA position ________Disagree with MSEA position Comment: As chair of the Education Subcommittee on the Ways and Means Committee, I spent a great deal of time on this issue this year. In the Governor’s Education Reform Act, there are provisions to include student growth as a significant measure in teacher and principal evaluations. We all believed in the intent of the original bill language that required student growth to rely on multiple measures. In amending the legislation, we required that no single measure could account for more than 35% of an evaluation. We were quite sensitive to not allowing a single high-stakes test to have too much weight in an evaluation. 10. MSEA supports a single salary schedule to insure that all educators are fairly compensated. Any system that

provides additional compensation beyond the single salary schedule should meet the following criteria:

a) The design of the system must be collectively bargained. b) Additional compensation must not be based solely on student test scores. c) The criteria to determine eligibility for additional compensation must be clearly stated and

subject to objective measurement. d) The system should not directly or indirectly limit the number of education employees who are

eligible for the additional compensation. All education employees should have the opportunity to meet the standards and receive the extra pay. The system may recognize and reward additional knowledge and skills the employees have acquired over the course of their careers.

e) Full funding should be available to sustain the system. f) The system should not diminish the professional status of those education employees who do not

receive the additional compensation. ____X____Agree with MSEA position ________Disagree with MSEA position Comment: I think my voting record supports all of the above provisions. I am particularly proud in my role in passing the Fairness in Negotiations Act.




11. School buildings are the place of learning for 843,861 children and are the workplace for over 80,000

employees. The state Interagency Committee on School Construction currently has a $900 backlog of requests for school construction projects. MSEA supports continued state funding of at least $250 million annually for school construction.

____X____Agree with MSEA position ________Disagree with MSEA position Comment: Students and teachers deserve and need the state to invest in school construction each year. Such an investment would support our efforts in building and maintaining a world-class school system.




Leadership positions in civic and community organizations:

Legislative Liaison, Committee for Montgomery, 2007-10 Graduate, Leadership Montgomery, 2005 Chair, Mid-County Citizens’ Advisory Board, 2001-02; Member, 1999-02 Member, Montgomery County Democratic Central Committee, 1998-02 Co-Coordinator, Montgomery County Women’s Fair, 2001-02; Organizer, 2000-02 Basketball Coach, Montgomery County Department of Recreation, 1991-92 and 1997

Please share with us what you consider to be your most significant achievements: 1) Providing effective leadership as chair of the Education Subcommittee, particularly in 2010 session.

In this role, I call upon the knowledge of advocates, experts and informed citizens. This year many of the top priorities of the state came through my subcommittee, including several bills introduced by the Governor to strengthen our already excellent public school system; a bill from the Speaker to address gangs in schools; and the Fairness in Negotiations Act which should level the playing field for teachers when they bargain with school systems during labor negotiations.

2) Passing the Interstate Compact for the Education of Military Children. I was delighted to be the

primary co-sponsor of Governor O’Malley’s bill in 2009 to help reduce the education barriers that many children of military families face when they are forced to move to different states because their parents are carrying out their military duties and orders. This measure first originated in 2007 when I was asked by Lt. Governor Brown and Ways and Means Committee Chairman Sheila Hixson to attend a conference on public education and military families. This law will require schools to be much more flexible and understanding when military children enroll from out-of-state.

3) In 2007, I introduced and passed legislation regarding the eligibility for the homestead tax credit. By

law, homeowners can only receive a homestead tax credit on their primary residence. Unfortunately, some people used to apply for and get a tax credit on multiple properties. My legislation was expected to save the state approximately $10 million over a three year period. I am quite pleased to report that it has already saved the state $23 million in just two years. During these tough fiscal times, cost savings such as this are even more meaningful.




List your top three priorities for Maryland: 1) K-12 Education: It was often said this session that Maryland has the #1 school system in the nation.

In repeating this comment, I always added the fact that we are not #1 for all kids. Since my first campaign, I have said that my guiding principle is equal educational opportunity. We must do more to ensure that all kids have opportunities to learn in our world class school system.

2) Preschool Education: Following my master’s thesis on the subject of Head Start, I have always been a

strong advocate for strong, comprehensive pre-school education. Our kids need a good start in their educational career. A good pre-school education is not an inoculation against poverty, but it is a good start that needs effective follow-up programs throughout a child’s education.

3) Marriage Equality: It is time that Maryland recognizes same-sex marriages. Marriage equality is the

key civil rights battle of this century and I’m proud to be working with my colleagues to advance civil rights. All Marylanders deserve civil rights, no matter their sexual orientation or gender identity.

Please return the completed questionnaire by Sunday, April 18, 2010 at midnight. to MCEA, 12 Taft Court; Rockville, Md. 20850, (attention Jon A. Gerson) or via fax at 301-309-9563 or email your response to [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]�

Questionnaire- Anne Kaiser - State Delegate Candidate (2010) Doc

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