@mskerrygraham
I am loudly and proudly: 🦀 from Baltimore 💅 childfree 🧠 neurodivergent, apparently—I was diagnosed in April ‘25 ✍️💫📑 my essays and vignettes for @thebaltimorebanner.com: https://www.thebanner.com/author/kerry-graham/ she/her/hers
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Top tier example of fully realized alt texts.
In addition to describing the image and relaying any text, which is the baseline, these also hit what I see as the optional and optimal trifecta:
1) capturing visual context clues.
2) relaying tone.
3) laying out the poster's communicative intent.
About half of jurisdictions get 50% or more of their edu funding from the state. They are all wholly or majority elected school boards.
The senator seems to believe that Baltimore needs particular paternalistic oversight from Annapolis.
Why does he believe Baltimore residents are less worthy?
I don't know why @antoniohayes40.bsky.social introduced this bill beyond what hebsaid to the Banner
His argument - the city gets state money so the Senate deserves a greater role than families - doesn't hold up.
Four jurisdictions get a higher state share than Baltimore. Each elects their Board.
A single legislator wants to substantially and permanently deprive the community of a formal role in school governance.
Instead of residents and families, power would be held by the Maryland Senate.
Legislators from other jurisdictions would replace the voices of Baltimore families.
Just nine years ago @antoniohayes40.bsky.social sponsored the very legislation that created the Community Panel.
His current bill, SB 554, would eliminate it without explanation and without consulted parents, community, unions, young people, school admin or any other group names in the bill.
Letter: Cutting community out of schools is wrong We are current and former Baltimore City Schools families, teachers, school leaders, and community advocates who believe that the success of young people and schools requires more involvement in the classroom and at the ballot box, not less. Baltimore City stands alone in Maryland. We are the only jurisdiction with a supermajority appointed school board and the only one where members are expected to serve in a volunteer capacity. We are deeply concerned that Senator Antonio Hayes and the Baltimore City Senate Delegation voted to advance SB554 – a bill that would eliminate parent, student, union, elected, and disabled voices from the appointments process – without any notice. Indeed, the website and social media pages for the Senate Delegation have not been updated in over a year. As Senator Hayes noted, Baltimore City does rely on the state for the majority of its funding. But that is hardly unique. Four jurisdictions receive more
As Senator Hayes noted, Baltimore City does rely on the state for the majority of its funding. But that is hardly unique. Four jurisdictions receive more than Baltimore City and 13 others receive more than half their funding from the state. Under Kirwan, school funding is tied to student needs, not the governance whims of adults. Senator Hayes should know - he voted for the bill to change the funding formula. Despite Senator Hayes' apparent knowledge of the “points of strength” within our city and his pledge to “leverage our strengths to support the next generation,” on his campaign website, Hayes’ bill cuts out the anchor institutions and community organizations he previously lauded. Just nine years ago, then Delegate Hayes sponsored HB562, which removed the Governor from the school board appointments process and created the Community Panel to review nominees and make recommendations to the Mayor. Baltimore City families do not need the paternalism of Maryland Senate approval to govern our schools. Instead we deserve what every other community in the state already enjoys: direct democratic engagement. We regret that Senator Hayes and his colleagues do not agree.
Submitted the following to @thebaltimorebanner.com re SB 554 but no response from paper.
Signed by current/former PCAB, current legislative chair of ASCBC, current/former teachers, and a BTU field organizer.
Cc @zekecohen.bsky.social @mayorbmscott.bsky.social @antoniohayes40.bsky.social
We went from Ok Boomer to Oh no Zoomer
🚨 THIS IS NOT A DRILL. kristi noem is doing a live speech right now and doesn't know she was fired. 🚨
Okay #AWP26 has barely begun and already I’m 🥰 📖 🤩 ✍️ 😍
Missed the sign on to oppose a bill that would cut community voices off from school governance?
Not too late to sign here ahead of March 11 hearing before the Maryland Senate Education, Energy, and Environment Committee c.org/YWPbb2Nbhz
Please share.
Hello, book people! I am the book content editor for Reactor Mag and I'm looking for 2026 sci-fi, fantasy, horror, romantasy, and speculative books coming out in the second half of the year! If you have an adult or YA SFF/H book out July-Dec (or publicist), share the link/info here!
BREAKING: US military says it has struck around 2,000 targets in Iran
Baltimore! Please help protect Stony Run, a critically important and imperiled urban waterway, under threat from Hopkins and their DSAI complex.
Send an email to dpw.plansreview@baltimorecity.gov asking them to deny BCNR #11633. Sample email script and in the attached link.
Deadline: March 6
![A quote from Senator Hayes: "The power to appoint is solely with group. [The Mayor] can only pick from a list," Hayes said. "There is no flexibility or discretion to figure out who is appointed."](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:c5jaqlxqfr75z6ykxwc6eisx/bafkreid66mls4kv3jqgvjuh2eo2n7hlu3bkegzgomq64qkteslqmhonaum)
A quote from Senator Hayes: "The power to appoint is solely with group. [The Mayor] can only pick from a list," Hayes said. "There is no flexibility or discretion to figure out who is appointed."
@antoniohayes40.bsky.social Makes a false assertion in this article.
The Community Panel selects a slate of candidates from an open call of advocates. The Mayor can choose one or more of those individuals to fill a vacancy *or decline reconvene the panel*
www.thebanner.com/education/k-...
do you wake up and poop in the middle of the night? is this real behavior?
This winter owes me a beautiful spring and a pleasant summer instead of the 3 days of spring and then straight to 90 and humid we usually get in Baltimore
Post See new posts Conversation Joaquin Castro @JoaquinCastrotx Secretary Rubio's remarks indicate that Israel put U.S. forces in harm's way by insisting on attacking Iran. And the administration was complicit—joining their war instead of talking them down This is unacceptable of the President, and unacceptable of a country that calls itself our ally.
Going to see more and more non-leftist Democrats talking like this from now on
The graves dug for 153 Iranian female school children who were killed by an Israeli-American strike.
Photo: IRNA
ICYMI over the weekend: My colleagues and I reviewed 15,000 documents to put together a detailed account of how Jeffrey Epstein leveraged medical care to manipulate and control victims, and how some doctors enabled that. Gift link:
‘A teaching tool for safety, for survival, for justice’: How Baltimore artists are using zines to organize baltimorebeat.com/a-teaching-t...
Rahman, who was Rep. Ilhan Omar’s guest, suspects she was targeted after testifying to Congress about her brutal ICE detention in Minneapolis.
I keep thinking about how the propaganda leading to this war was all about how you needed to rescue women and the first thing they did was kill dozens of little girls.
BREAKING
Islamic Republic state media has confirmed that one of Ayatollah Khamenei’s daughters, his son-in-law, and one of his grandchildren have been killed.
The President’s repeated, illegal and deadly actions continue to endanger our homeland.
See my full statement below on the strikes against Iran.
Image is a screenshot of a statement. It reads: The President said he would end wars — not start them. He lied. The President said he obliterated the Iranian nuclear program. He lied. The American people have no reason to trust this man with the lives of our sons and daughters. The Constitution is clear: “The Congress shall have Power…To declare War.” Senators who still believe in the Constitution should join me in demanding we return to Washington today and vote on Senator Kaine’s War Powers Resolution. Those who don’t will make it clear once and for all that they no longer recognize the authority of Congress to declare war. And history will record that when the Constitution was cast aside, they did not stand in its defense — they stood in its way.
Today, the President launched a war with Iran. Here's my statement:
