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Parents and mentors urge Maryland board to sustain AAEEBB pilot supports for Black boys
Summary
Multiple public commenters at the state board meeting described positive outcomes from the Achieving Academic Equity and Excellence for Black Boys pilot and accused MSDE of cutting the pilot short, urging sustained funding and staff support for participating schools.
Several parents, mentors and former advisory‑council members used the board's public comment period to press the Maryland State Board of Education to preserve supports from the Achieving Academic Equity and Excellence for Black Boys (AAEEBB) pilot.
Diane Roberts said the initiative — launched to support 14 pilot schools — was promised as a three‑year commitment but was "cut short after merely 18 months," adding that frequent MSDE staff turnover and lack of follow‑through undermined school efforts. "In my mama vernacular, I'm gonna say y'all drop the ball," Roberts said, calling for the blueprint's ongoing initiatives not to suffer similar mismanagement.
Former advisory council members and mentors echoed those criticisms and described concrete benefits at Running Brook Elementary School, where staff say the MSDE grant supported enrichment for roughly 70 boys and provided artists, coding and mentorship activities. Brandon Cogdell described mentoring his own sons and asked the board to continue funding AAEEBB supports. Ebony Cogdell recounted her son's early college planning conversations as evidence of the program's impact.
Dr. Green and other advisory council participants said the task force produced a 95‑page resource manual and that the board originally allocated $3,000,000 to finance pilots. They urged the board and MSDE to ensure stable partnerships and clear funding flows so local implementers receive allocated resources.
Board members acknowledged comments and committed to taking them into consideration as MSDE proceeds with literacy and equity work; MSDE staff did not dispute commenters' timelines during this session. The board did not take formal action on AAEEBB at the meeting.
