Mikulski Holds Education Roundtable

BALTIMORE (WJZ)– Marylanders are adding their two cents as to how the federal government should play a role in education.

Andrea Fujii explains why Senator Barbara Mikulski is travelling across the state to listen to you.

As the "No Child Left Behind Act" is about to be revised by Congress, Mikulski wants to know what Marylanders think.

"I don't believe the best wisdom is in Washington, I believe the best ideas are in the grassroots," said Mikulski, (D) Maryland.

She's holding four roundtables, like the one at West Baltimore's Lockerman-Bundy Elementary School. That's where Constance Young's great-grandchildren attend.

"I think they need more time to work with after-school programs, especially to prepare them for the MSA and Stanford 10," Young said.

That's just one idea Mikulski is keeping in mind. As the newly appointed chairwoman of a Senate Subcommittee on Children and Families, she is there to listen.

President Obama's 2011 budget includes $3 billion more in funding for education than last year, but cuts are always a concern.

"Of course any resources that they can get would be beneficial. They can't afford to cut anything," Young said.

With 84,000 children in the city school system alone, many say their voices are their best weapon.

The senator's next roundtable will be in Charles County next Monday.

The revised version of "No Child Left Behind" is expected to go up for a vote this summer.