The statewide board tasked with overseeing implementation of the landmark Blueprint for Maryland’s Future law has selected a cohort of advisors from over 200 nominations for advisory board members to help guide its work.

The Blueprint Accountability and Implementation Board (AIB) is tasked with overseeing the implementation of Maryland’s major education policy reform initiative known as the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future.

After much criticism about the lack of geographic diversity of the board’s makeup, and several funding and staffing set backs, the AIB is making good on a promise to circumvent these challenges via advisory committees. At its first meeting, the board voted to establish such advisory committees to help shape its work.

Notably, MACo supported a bill during the 2022 legislative session that would have expanded the AIB’s geographic membership, but that measure ultimately failed.

On July 11, the AIB announced that it selected advisory members to serve for each the Blueprint’s four pillars. Members are diverse in geographic location and diversity. A total of 24 members were selected to serve on one of each of the four advisory committees
with six members each, including one student, on each committee.

Advisors are expected to bring new experience, representation, and viewpoints to the work of the board and to the state’s Blueprint implementation processes. The AIB published a statement on the selection of the 24 members:

The individuals selected to serve on an Advisory Committee bring unique and diverse backgrounds, expertise, and perspectives. Many of the members represent multiple roles simultaneously or from their past experiences including child care providers, teachers, parents, school administrators, higher education faculty or administrators, and community/workforce development. Specifically, nine of the members are parents of current Maryland public school students; five are current Maryland teachers, including one National Board Certified Teacher; and one currently works as a school psychologist. Several members currently work or previously worked in Career and Technical Education roles; one member is also a farmer and another currently serves as a school system Blueprint coordinator.

AIB advisory members represent Maryland’s diversity 

Here’s how the advisory membership shapes up:

• Overall, 62.5% of the members selected are women, which reflects the proportion of applications submitted by women.
• Approximately 33% of members selected are Black, 8% Hispanic, 8% Asian and 33% White, with less than 1% multiracial, and 12.5% who did not report this optional data.
• Advisory members represent all regions of the state:

Advisory assignments

Each advisory committee member serves on one of four Blueprint pillar-based committees: Early Childhood Education, High-Quality and Diverse Teachers and Leaders, College and Career Readiness, and More Resources for Students Who Need Them.

Note: *indicates a student member.

The AIB Advisory Committees will begin meeting at least quarterly in the near future.

Read the full AIB statement and learn more about the advisory committee and members.