Changes could be coming to Blueprint education plan

The board overseeing implementation of Maryland’s sweeping education reform plan could propose some changes to the plan, even as another looming budget shortfall makes it a likely target for cuts to some lawmakers next year.

A few of the changes being eyed by that Blueprint for Maryland’s Future Accountability and Implementation Board include adding more pathways for educators to achieve National Board Certification or other academic accreditation; providing funding for more college and career readiness classes; and conducting a study to assess how much to increase the base level of per pupil funding.

Those recommendations and more were discussed by board members at their meeting last week and could be finalized when the board meets again next month.

They come as the state faces a projected $3 billion budget gap for the upcoming fiscal year, about $1.8 billion of which is tied to education under the Blueprint, according to the Maryland Associations of Counties (MACo).

The projected budget shortfall for fiscal 2028 also comes in the first year in which Blueprint costs will exceed dedicated revenues. To cover the balance, the state will have to dip into the general fund, as a first-in-the-nation digital ad tax meant to help pay for the education plan remains in legal limbo.

Gov. Wes Moore (D) on Wednesday praised the Blueprint due to the work of educators and state Superintendent Carey Wright, such as improving math and reading test scores. But he also said that “we have to be able to take a look at the Blueprint to ensure that all these things are not just effective but also scalable.”

“Our remarkable educators are helping to lead what has been one of the greatest rebounds post-COVID of any state inside of the United States of America,” Moore said during a campaign stop Wednesday at the J. Millard Tawes Crab and Clam Bake in Crisfield. “This is some of the best work that’s happening in the country right now, and we want to make sure we’re continuing to support that.”

Sen. Mary Beth Carozza (R-Lower Shore) said she will work in the upcoming legislative session on proposing legislation to bring more flexibility under the Blueprint for the state’s 24 school districts.

That could include, for example, changes that would let a school district use resources or funding for prekindergarten that may be designated for career and technical education (CTE) in a district is already “doing well in CTE.”

“In other words, instead of that one-size-fits-all mandate, we go to the locals and work with them in good faith knowing that we have the same goal, which is a quality education for all students,” she said.

“We are facing very serious, long-term fiscal budget challenges,” Carozza said at Tawes. “So therefore, we’re going to work a little bit more with the individual counties, the school systems, so we can have a win-win.”

Legislative recommendations

The Blueprint board met Sept. 17 to review proposed legislative recommendations, which would ultimately need approval by the legislature.

One recommendation in the 15-page document would be to ease certification requirements for private providers who employ educators who teach prekindergarten students.

Such a change could build on House Bill 748, sponsored this year by Montgomery County Democratic Dels. Bernice Mireku-North and Julie Palakovich Carr, that creates another pathway for individuals to qualify as an early childhood teaching assistant. The law went into effect July 1.

A number of the changes have price tags attached. Another recommendation is to require that multilingual learners and students with disabilities automatically receive Tier I funding, which provides free full-day prekindergarten for families at or below 300% of the Federal Poverty Level, or those experiencing homelessness. That policy had been in place from fiscal years 2024 to 2026.

“So making this change permanent will have a fiscal impact,” said Joy Schaefer, government relations director for the AIB.

Another recommendation would be to conduct a study on the impact of National Board Certification for teachers, especially in “high-need student populations.”

The Learning Policy Institute, a national education research organization headquartered in San Francisco, recommended in a March report that policies should provide salary increases for teachers who receive not only advanced credentials, but also teach in subjects like special education or in rural and high-poverty schools. In February, the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards said Maryland led the nation last year with 1,435 of those teachers who received that designation.

The Blueprint currently requires that teachers who get National Board Certification get a $10,000 salary boost, and another $7,000 for those who teach at an “identified low-performing school.”

Not all local school officials are fans of the automatic pay bumps. Worcester County Superintendent Annette Wallace said last month that she vehemently disagrees with the Blueprint salary requirement.

“There’s no data in Worcester County Public Schools to suggest that National Board Certification makes you more of an effective teacher,” Wallace said in an interview last month. “Just because you’ve been teaching a long time doesn’t mean that you’re a great teacher. Quality is what’s more important to me, not number of years.”

The Blueprint board could vote on the legislative recommendations Oct. 15.