Maryland Board of Education approves agreement to clarify roles on Blueprint reform plan

It’s halfway done.

The Maryland State Board of Education unanimously approved a memorandum of understanding Tuesday with the Blueprint Accountability and Implementation Board on their respective roles and responsibilities when it comes to the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future education reform plan.

The AIB, scheduled to meet Thursday, must also approve the memo.

The memo comes after more than three years into the implementation of the sweeping 10-year Blueprint implementation. It aims to streamline the process and eliminate constant frustration from local school systems due to the lack of clarity and final guidance by responding to both agencies.

The memo calls for the two boards to meet at least quarterly “to discuss progress, challenges, and strategies related to Blueprint implementation.” Their last joint meeting was Jan. 28. It also calls on the Blueprint board to share recommendations and evaluations with the Board of Education and for both agencies to “maintain open communication channels.”

The seven-member AIB board and its staff oversee the 10-year plan, while the state board approves any Blueprint documents submitted by the state’s 24 school systems, and other state agencies that craft elements of the Blueprint.

The Blueprint law also requires the state Department of Education to provide technical assistance and lend expertise on education policy.

State Superintendent Carey Wright acknowledged there has been “some confusion” from local school leaders, parents and other stakeholders on who was in charge and who to talk to about certain parts of the Blueprint implementation.

“I think what we’ve landed on is a good place to start,” Wright said Tuesday. “This is much clearer and more carefully defined in terms of who owns what, where the Blueprint is concerned.”

A color-coded chart highlights the roles and responsibilities based on the five Blueprint pillars, or priorities: early childhood education, high quality and diverse teachers and leaders, college and career readiness, more resources for students in need and governance and accountability.

Most of the roles are already being followed, per state law, such as the AIB taking the lead to ensure all 24 school systems offer starting teacher pay of $60,000 a year by July 1, 2026. The state board will continue to seek ways to improve educator pay.

In terms of early childhood education, the state board will continue seeking ways to expand full-day prekindergarten, assess student readiness for kindergarteners and expand pre-K services in public schools and child care providers as part of the “mixed-delivery system.”

The AIB will examine the racial, ethnic, disability-status and income makeup of full-day pre-K students and assess whether the mix of public and private prekindergarten providers “is effectively meeting the needs of families.”

The state board will lead on a few other Blueprint responsibilities, with the AIB consulting, such as establishing high school curricula, contracting with a public or private entity for a college and career readiness study and implementing a financial management and student data system.

Board member Nick Greer, who attended the meeting virtually, asked why the AIB will lead in monitoring and reviewing the performance of teacher preparation programs, rather than doing that jointly with the department. Alex Reese, chief of staff with the department, said that’s based on state law, but that “there’s nothing preventing us from picking up the phone and touching base [with the AIB] and then connecting on various pieces of the work.”

Paul Lemle, president of the Maryland State Educators Association, said he hopes having an agreement between the state board and AIB makes the Blueprint implementation run smoother.

“It’s really the goal of the Blueprint that our schools are better. So, if the process is a problem, we want to fix that,” he said in a brief interview during a break in the meeting. “We hope this kind of confusion is going to be resolved.”