Ideas Challenge 2023: Driving Equity in Education, Housing, and Employment

This category, Promoting Equity and Targeting Underserved Communities, features five finalists in the NewDEAL Ideas Challenge 2023.

1. Georgia's HB 668 Targets Equity in Education Funding for Underserved Students

Proposed Bill Aims to Update Outdated Funding Formula, Prioritizing Resources for Students in Poverty, Across Urban, Suburban, and Rural Areas

Entry: Georgia Educational Opportunity Act

Leader: Phil Olaleye

Georgia HB 668 aims to update the state’s 30-year-old Quality Basic Education (QBE) funding formula. The bill introduces an “opportunity weight” to allocate additional resources for students in poverty. Georgia is one of only six states that does not allocate specific state funds to help educate students living in poverty. This ensures schools can meet diverse educational needs, from rural transportation to mental health support and urban meal programs. The bill strives to eliminate disparities and enhance education statewide. When a student enters a school in Georgia, their ZIP code and economic situation should never predetermine their success. For example, schools in rural Georgia might use the funds to transport students to dual enrollment programs or provide Wi-Fi hot spots. Suburban schools might use the funds to enhance mental health counseling and increase after-school tutoring. Urban districts might use the funds to pay for school meal programs and provide critical wraparound services.

Impact: Getting HB 668 passed and updating the state’s funding formula to provide additional funding to serv economically disadvantaged students.Current Status: HB 668 was filed and Olaleye is currently building support to get a hearing in committee, and hopefully a vote on the House floor.

---

2. Montgomery County's HOME Act Sets New Standard for Tenant Protection

Landmark Legislation Aims to Stabilize Rent, Foster Equity, and Keep Residents in Their Homes

Entry: The Housing Opportunity, Mobility, and Equity (HOME) Act

Leader: Will Jawando


The Housing Opportunity, Mobility, and Equity (HOME) Act would protect tenants through rent stabilization, providing predictable housing costs, and helping them stay in their homes over time, just like homeowners. The County Council approved renter regulations that balance the need to protect tenants with providing landlords with economic tools to maintain and build housing. Montgomery County is the first county in Maryland to establish permanent rent stabilization at a maximum cap of 6 percent.The compromise bill that passed, Rent Stabilization, prevents rent gouging, reduces displacement, and creates cost predictability for tenants and landlords by:

• Setting an annual rental increase allowance of CPI-U plus 3 percent, capped at a maximum of 6 percent;
• Establishing guidelines for fees and fee increases for regulated rental units;
• Establishing provisions for the landlord to increase the rent above the cap and apply a surcharge for renovations; and,
• Defining a process for landlords to bank unused rental increase allowances.

Impact: The bill is already having an impact, sending a clear message that the county cares for renters and believes they should have sustainable housing with predictable costs.As the bill goes into effect, the Council will monitor its implementation to ensure that it balances the need to protect tenants with providing landlords with economic tools to maintain and build housing. A protection or right is also only as good as it is known by the public, particularly those most impacted, and the next steps will include raising awareness among tenants and landlords about their rights and responsibilities.

Current Status: The Montgomery County Council passed the bill, and it will go into effect after the Department of Housing and Community Affairs (DHCA) issues regulations.

Other Notes: The impacts of exclusionary zoning and discriminatory lending and rental practices directly relate to the current racial wealth gap experienced by many people of color and disproportionately for Black Americans. As of this summer, Montgomery County takes the lead in Maryland, in the region, and nationally by establishing strong rent regulations that build off best practices and learning from our own experiences and those of other jurisdictions.

---

3. Maryland Introduces Fair Chance in Housing Act 2024

Landmark Legislation Aims to Remove Barriers for Individuals with Criminal Histories, Promoting Equal Access to Housing

Entry: The Maryland Fair Chance in Housing Act 2024

Leader: Adrian Boafo


The “ban the box” policy for rental applications addresses discriminatory housing advertising by prohibiting content that discourages those with a criminal history from applying. Criminal history inquiries will be limited to the past three years, enabling individuals with older criminal histories to have a fair chance at securing housing, with an exception for individuals on the sex offender registry. Additionally, the bill seeks to ensure transparency by requiring housing providers to provide a physical disclosure stating the reasons for denying an applicant, fostering a more open and accountable housing system. Lastly, the proposed legislation mandates that all housing providers restrict their application fees to cover only the actual cost of the screening process. This measure aims to prevent excessive fees and ensure that applicants are charged reasonably based on the expenses incurred during the screening procedure.

Impact: Housing continues to be one of the most significant barriers for those transitioning out of prison. This bill will help send a message by helping returning citizens access essential housing.

Current Status: A few states have done one or two provisions in the bill. But none have done it comprehensively.

---

4. Newport News Transforms Early Education with Comprehensive Center for Low-Income Families

Strategic Plans and ARPA Funding Drive Development of State-of-the-Art Early Childhood Education Centers, Fostering Community Growth and Empowering Working Families

Entry: Peake Early Childhood Center / Virginia Peninsula Community College Center of Excellence

Leader: Phillip Jones

The Newport News City Council adopted the 2020-2025 Strategic Plan with the objective of ensuring that children enter school ready to learn and be successful. A strategy to support this objective is to increase the availability of and strengthen early education in pre-kindergarten programs, particularly for low-income children. To fulfill this strategy, the city is partnering with the Peake Childhood Center to develop and operate a fully accredited and licensed early childhood center. The joint facility in partnership with Peake and Virginia Peninsula Community College (VPCC), will provide a sliding scale tuition for up to 200 youth, from infant to 4 years old. Additionally, VPCC will train the next generation of child-care professionals through its onsite training program.Newport News also allocated over 20 percent of their ARPA funding to establish a new Early Childhood Education Center. This center will ensure that pre-Kindergarten programs are universally available — particularly for low-income families — increasing options for our working families who need safe places for their children to learn and grow and empowering parents to become actively involved in their child’s learning and also remain in the workforce.

Impact: The Peake Early Childhood Center will ensure that families who struggle financially have access to a center that addresses the early educational needs of their children and supports the needs of the family. Data reveals how important high-quality and affordable early learning and child-care are for the economy. The availability of early education programs attracts home buyers and increases property values by $13 for every dollar invested. Also, a lack of child-care costs businesses $4.4 billion annually because parents/guardians must be absent from work to take care of their children.

Current Status: The $14.4 million construction project is underway by MB Khan. Construction completion is expected in May 2024.

Other Notes: Lives of young people and families are being transformed as Newport News also allocated over 20 percent of our ARPA funding to establish a new Early Childhood Education Center. The new facility will serve approximately 200 children — ages 6 weeks to 5 years. This center will ensure that pre-Kindergarten programs are universally available — particularly for low-income families — increasing options for our working families who need safe places for their children to learn and grow.These significant infrastructure investments, as well as continued support for our residents, have the potential to transform the community for decades to come. A joint facility in partnership with Peake and Virginia Peninsula Community College (VPCC) will provide a sliding scale tuition for up to 200 youth, from infant to 4 years old. Additionally, VPCC will train the next generation of child-care professionals through its onsite training program.

---

5. Maryland's Fair Chance in Housing Act Aims to Remove Barriers for Returning Citizens

Proposed Legislation Seeks to Enhance Housing Access by Limiting Criminal History Inquiries and Application Fees

Entry: Work to Break the Cycle

Leader: Lee Harris

“Work to Break the Cycle” is a job website featuring updated Shelby County Government positions for individuals with arrest or conviction records. It complements the 2020 Ban the Box Ordinance, which removed questions about criminal history from job applications. This initiative has facilitated numerous opportunities for ex-offenders to join the county government workforce, with over 100 employment offers extended. By offering tailored jobs, we aim to reduce recidivism rates, as employment cuts reoffending chances by 20 percent. This dedicated job site enhances application confidence, promotes local economic engagement, and reduces incarceration expenses, aligning with the goal of reintegrating justice-impacted individuals into the community.

Impact: We believe that each hire is a marker of success. We have already made offers of employment to over 100 individuals. This not only changes their situation, but it has a ripple impact for their families and our community as a whole.

Current Status: We launched the website in late April/early May and have seen a marked increase in applications and hires. We are continuing marketing of the website to help spread the word to others who interact with justice-impacted individuals that we want to hire them. We are also doing work with our local Chamber to encourage other local employers to follow our lead in both hiring ex-offenders and setting up special portals that are user-friendly.

---