HB 1372, the follow-up bill adjusting multiple facets of the Kirwan Blueprint school plan, accommodating both the effects of the pandemic and the veto/override timetable, has passed the General Assembly.

The “fix up” bill tending to multiple facets of the 2020 Kirwan Blueprint for Maryland’s Future has passed, after receiving amendments in both chambers. The House has accepted the Senate changes, and the bill will be sent to Governor Hogan for his approval. Thus far, no indications have arisen to suggest the bill is in doubt – so it is widely expected to become law.

As detailed in previous Conduit Street coverage, the main facets of the bill affecting county funding:

-delay FY22 effects of the bill, where it would otherwise have spoken to required state and county funding;

-generally “skip” references to the September 2020 enrollment count;

-adds a new layer of base state/local funding for school technology equipment and services; and

-requires a study of county “capacity” to fund the requirements of the bill throughout its phased in cost components.

The enrolled bill text (incorporating all final language) is now available online.

A revised fiscal note is also available, with an analysis of the bill’s various components as of the House amendments, including many county-by-county breakdowns. As of this writing, the fiscal note had been updated to reflect House amendments, but not the final iterations passed by the Senate and ultimately approved. The county-by-county required funding analysis is not yet fully revised to reflect the final Senate changes, and will likely be further updated. The most reliable county by county estimate of funding requirements for FY22 and FY23 is embedded at right – handed out to members of the Senate Education Health and Environmental Affairs Committee as they considered multiple amendments.