"Based on the adequacy study from (the Maryland state Department of Education), the state owes us $290 million," Baltimore City Council Education Committee Chairman Zeke Cohen said.

"We need to change the paradigm in this town and make sure we're putting our young people first," said District 1 Baltimore City Councilman Zeke Cohen, chairman of the council's committee on education and youth.

Councilman Zeke Cohen, chairman of the council's Education and Youth Committee, held a news conference Monday to voice concerns about a deal between the Baltimore school system and the Maryland Transit Administration that limits the nighttime hours students can ride MTA buses for free.

“I think it’s a fresh breath of air,” said new 1st District Councilman Zeke Cohen.

Unfortunately, most residents in the First District do not live where they work. For the higher poverty areas like O'Donnell Heights, Graceland Park, Baltimore Highlands and Broening Manor, people without a car are at an enormous disadvantage. Many of the residents I speak to in these neighborhoods have found employment at Amazon, or in downtown Baltimore, but with only one bus line traveling through the Eastern part of the District, they are often late for work. That is unacceptable. I think that we should go back to our Governor, and demand that he reconsider the decision to terminate the Red Line. I also think that we need to do a true impact study before adopting the City Link plan. I would like to see rapid bus lanes, GPS equipment on the buses, and expansion of the Circulator. At the expensive of sounding like a heretic, I would also like to see charge for the Circulator, why should the bus that mainly serves tourists be free while everyone else has to pay?