MACo and county leaders continue to stress the need for flexibility in Blueprint implementation.

Ahead of the 2024 legislative session, county leaders and the Maryland Association of Counties (MACo) sent a letter to Governor Wes Moore, Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson, and House Speaker Adrienne Jones outlining ongoing concerns with implementation and offering a series of suggestions to improve the historical law and make the Blueprint work for all Marylanders.

County governments are vital partners in implementing Maryland’s landmark education reform law, The Blueprint for Maryland’s Future (“The Blueprint”). As funders and local leaders, counties are uniquely positioned to help guide implementation and shape Maryland’s public education system. As such, they have experienced some universal challenges in the first few years of educational reform, including funding and specific aspects of implementation.

Harford County Executive Bob Cassilly recently stressed those points to Baltimore’s Fox45. Cassilly told the outlet: “We’re struggling. We’re struggling with Kirwan,” noting an expected $40 million increase for Harford County next year to pay for the Blueprint. The report continued:

At issue, is the future of public education in Maryland and how it’s funded. In 2021, lawmakers passed the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, also called the Kirwan Plan. The law pumps $30 billion additional tax dollars into public education statewide over the first 10 years and then $4 billion additional dollars every year after that.

Cassilly further highlighted a central theme to county concerns and their letter: the need for greater flexibility in how the Blueprint is funded and implemented.

‘There’s got to be some give and take,’ explained Cassilly. ‘There’s got to be an additional look at this thing. And people need to be a little more rational in how we approach this…’

The Fox45 reporting went on to note that county concerns and suggestions “shouldn’t come as a surprise” to policymakers:

The letter asks for help from the state on a number of specific concerns, including a more comprehensive cost analysis so counties know exactly how much they will have to pay. The letter also asks for an increase in state aid to renovate and construct pre-K facilities. And when it comes to teacher pay, the letter requests more time to develop educator career ladders, which MACo calls one of the most unpredictable costs.

But these concerns over funding shouldn’t come as a surprise. Many predicted this would happen after the pandemic. The Blueprint was passed in 2021 when the Covid pandemic was crippling Maryland’s economy.

Read the full report.

Access MACo’s Blueprint letter to state leaders.