On February 18, Executive Director Michael Sanderson testified before the Education, Energy, and the Environment Committee in support of SB 311 – Education – The Blueprint for Maryland’s Future – Revisions with amendments.
This bill seeks to adjust a number of components of the State’s visionary education plan, the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future (Blueprint). The provisions of the bill focus broadly on school funding, teacher recruitment and retention, college and career readiness, and resource allocation in community schools.
MACo offered amendments to avoid “double counting” of private pre-kindergarten payments that, through a revised administrative determination by the State Department of Education, have been required atop each affected county’s school system fund allocation. This notice did not reach counties until after they had approved their FY 2026 budgets last year.
As implementation continues amid post-pandemic fiscal pressures and shifting cost realities, counties have stepped up as major funding partners — often contributing well above required levels. SB 311 provides a chance to address funding gaps, improve transparency and accountability, and correct technical issues affecting local budgets, ensuring the Blueprint remains sustainable and effective for students, educators, and communities statewide.
Even with these historic investments, education experts from across
the state have highlighted challenges both operational and financial that could compromise the shared outcomes of the plan. SB 311 presents an opportunity to address some of those obvious and demonstrated challenges. While counties take no issue with the majority of the proposals in the bill, MACo offers some perspective on Blueprint implementation challenges as well as some narrow changes to enhance transparency and accountability.
SB 311’s cross-file, HB 490, was heard on February 24 in the Appropriations Committee. Associate Policy Director Sarah Sample testified in support of this bill with amendments.
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