It should come as no surprise. 

“We can’t be satisfied as policy makers until every child in every zip code has the chance to succeed,” declared Speaker Adrienne Jones at a hearing on the pre-K-12 school performance and funding legislation based upon the Kirwan Commission report..

“If you live on the south side of Northern Parkway, your life expectancy is about 67 to 68 years, but if you cross over to the north side, it goes up to 82 or 83.  That needs to be addressed,” stated a Sinai Hospital official.  Addressing that disparity is fundamental to the mission of the hospital.

Both of these statements were made before the coronavirus pandemic highlighted the disparities among  neighborhoods in Baltimore and throughout the nation and world.  

What can we do to address these problems?

“Will the General Assembly have the will and wisdom to override Hogan’s veto of the legislation implementing the Kirwan Commission report?” I was asked last week. 

“No doubt in my mind that we have that will and wisdom.  The question is when,” I replied.  We need to decide whether we do so in a special session or when we reconvene in January. 

Our health care system has adjusted to the pandemic but at great cost.  How do we pay for that?  Should changes in how we provide care, such as telehealth, be made permanent?  Is an employer liable if an employee returns to work and becomes ill? 

Access to the Internet is essential for students who are not in a classroom.  “Large numbers of Baltimore households lack two essential tools for getting online: wireline broadband service at home and access to a computer,” concluded an Abell Foundation report this month. 

I’ve asked our budget staff to research potential funding sources to close this gap.