Legislature Passes Blueprint for Maryland’s Future to Raise Achievement, Potential for Every Public School Student, Educator
On March 16, the Senate passed the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future in an overwhelming bipartisan vote, to commit the state to implement the 10-year strategic plan to raise academic achievement and strengthen the educator workforce. Tonight, the House concurred with the Senate version of the bill, thereby sending the Blueprint to Governor Hogan. Baltimore County elementary school teacher and Maryland State Education Association (MSEA) President Cheryl Bost released the following statement:
“In the midst of these unsettling times, we deeply appreciate the commitment of both houses of the General Assembly to pass the Blueprint and lay the groundwork for the long-term success of our students and economy. The Blueprint is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to ensure that all of our students will benefit from the bill’s plan to expand career and technical education, hire more educators and pay them as professionals, give greater support to struggling learners, and commit to creating lasting educational equity and, ultimately, a more prosperous future for Maryland. We appreciate the work and bipartisan support of legislators to address the public health crisis we’re facing together and to advance this critical bill and achieve the goal of passing a new funding formula that better supports our students, educators, and schools.”
The Blueprint (SB 1000/HB 1300) is based on the findings of the Kirwan Commission and revises the state’s school funding formula for the first time in nearly two decades. Over the next decade, the Blueprint calls for billions of dollars of new investment in Maryland schools to expand career and technical education, community schools that address widespread poverty and special needs, and make pre-k affordable; increase educator salaries, retention and staffing; create a rigorous accountability system; and employ a number of other research-backed strategies for improving schools.
