As a new calendar year begins, Community of Action again wishes to thank all those from Temple Beth Ami who contacted County Council members urging the Council to return South Lake Elementary School to its priority place on the CIP list.  With its unanimous vote on December 1, the Council assured the community of a new school building by 2023. Read the full story in Washington Jewish Week leading up to this decision and learn more about the Temple’s long-standing relationship with the school. 

How You Can Help South Lake Families with Donations:

Donations of gift cards to Giant, Walmart, and Target are still needed to support South Lake families as they face special challenges presented by the COVID crisis. A coat drive conducted in December provided families with needed coats and jackets., but additional donations of clothing are still being accepted. Also in December, TBANS donated its supply of surplus diapers to the school for distribution. Contact either Susan Stern or Sue Fox  (foxdsgc@aol.com) for more information concerning donations.

How You Can Help South Lake Families by Volunteering:

Due to COVID, all in-school volunteer opportunities described below are on hold. However, thought has been given to finding ways to connect with students to provide tutoring services and instructional support. Look for an update here if these plans become more formalized. Questions? Contact Sue Fox.

• After school art club for 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders – No art experience necessary but a willingness to engage with children and have fun is required!
• Mommy and Me parenting class for moms of young children up to 4 years old – Teaching basic parenting ideas, play ideas, songs, nutrition, and how to have fun with your child!
• Reading with a child at lunchtime – You will be paired with a child through the reading specialist and meet with this child weekly or more often to read individually and give extra help during the lunch period.

MCPS Black and Brown Coalition for Education Equity and Excellence

The Black and Brown Coalition for Education Equity and Excellence recently published its first newsletter providing an overview of the advocacy work of the organization. The Coalition was founded by Byron Jones (Montgomery County Chapter of the NAACP) and Diego Uriburi (Identity, Inc.) in order to close the opportunity gap by advocating for educational equity for Brown, Black, and low-income children through evidence-based policies. The newsletter covers the group’s advocacy positions and provides a link to its study regarding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and virtual learning on Black, Brown and low-income families, a video of its Virtual Accountability Forum Regarding Education Equity, Maryland Blueprint for Education advocacy, and a summary of its work to date. Click here to request a copy of the emailed newsletter.

Click here to learn more about MCPS’ Educational Equity and Enrichment Hubs and what you can do to help.

Click here to learn more about this series of conversations and for future event dates/speakers.

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You!

To all our congregants (and their friends) who signed up to write and mail approximately 3,000 postcards for the Georgia Senate Run-Off Elections held January 7, 2021. Some 45 persons signed up, and like our earlier postcard effort focusing on eligible voters in voting restrictive states, we had to turn people away because the turn-around time was so quick. In both efforts, Temple Beth Ami signed up as a team under the Religious Action Center, which was a partner of the Center for Common Ground.

AIM is continuing to pursue advocacy of a four-part agenda established last summer. The agenda includes the following issue action teams:

• Health: This two-part issue includes: 1) addressing disparities in COVID testing, tracing, and treating and 2) addressing healthcare deserts in Montgomery County especially those created during distant learning.
• Jobs: This issue focuses on ways to create conditions leading to better-paying jobs with benefits allowing for families to reach financial stability which impacts housing choices.
• Housing: This two-part issue includes: 1) stopping evictions during the pandemic and 2) supporting the preservation and production of affordable housing in the County.
• South Lake: Protecting the return of South Lake Elementary School to its original priority place on the County’s CIP roster is critical.
• Additionally, AIM has begun a new agenda item focusing on police reform.

Anyone interested in getting involved in one or more of these team efforts should contact Tanushree Isaaacman or Cynthia Marshall.

During the week of February 8, the Maryland General Assembly overrode Governor Hogan’s veto of the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future. Temple members will remember that this bill was the culmination of years of work by experts to craft a world-class education system and has 5 main pillars: early childhood education; elevating the licensure standards for teaching and providing commensurate compensation; investing in those children who need more assistance; ensuring our students are college and career ready; and establishing accountability and oversight. By overriding this veto, the legislature also released the funds for HB 1 (2020), the Built to Learn Act, which will provide the funding mechanisms for public school construction projects.

According to State Delegate Sara Love, “The Governor’s proposed budget fully funds the Blueprint and school construction. The General Assembly also has now secured over $7 billion for school construction, education programs, additional resources, and more support for teachers and students.”

Strong Schools Maryland advocated for state legislators to vote to override Hogan’s veto. The group hosted over 700 advocates in Annapolis for daily advocacy days, held over 200 legislator meetings, sent over 35,000 emails to lawmakers, made more than 14,000 calls to legislators offices, sent over 100,000 texts to Maryland voters, collaborated with more than 50 statewide partners in the Coalition for the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, of which Temple Beth Ami was one.

Thank you to all TBA members who participated in this advocacy through your letter writing, calls, and texts.