Draft data finds that half of Maryland’s counties may be mandated to increase their per-pupil funding for K-12 education under a state law enacted in 2012.

The education escalator, a device that mandates increases in county funding for local school systems, will require twelve counties in Maryland to increase their per-pupil funding, according to preliminary data from the State Department of Education.

The law mandates increases for any counties that fall behind a statewide moving average of wealth per pupil, and have locally increasing wealth per pupil. In recent years, the law required increases for nine and then twelve counties. This year, the same twelve counties may be hit again.

Counties in Maryland are being hit year after year with mandatory education payment increases. MACo advocates against maintenance of effort mandates that reduce flexibility in local budgeting.

To learn more about how the State’s escalator law works, see Q&A: Maryland’s Education Funding Escalator.

For more information about the State’s FY 2020 education funding, see the preliminary draft calculations.