Baltimore County is the only school district in the state to not receive approval on its 2024 implementation plan under the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future because of missing career counseling plans.
In a meeting Thursday, the Accountability and Implementation Board gave the green-light to six more local education agencies (LEAs), including Baltimore City. After months of delay, the city passed a new teacher career ladder last week – the final hold-up in its Blueprint approval.
Three of those six counties – Anne Arundel, Prince George’s and Montgomery – earned “conditional” approval, pending submission of “fully executed agreements” in career counseling and teacher ladders by February 15 to avoid losing access to state funds.
Baltimore County leaders need to submit updated materials by January 16, or they too face an appeals process that would withhold their Blueprint funding for the 2025-26 school year.
AIB Operations and Policy Director Rachel Amstutz, who’s been working with the district, said they’re “very close” to figuring out a contract.
“The longer process just has resulted from significant staffing changes…that necessitated kind of almost starting over,” she said at Thursday’s meeting. “So they've been working diligently to make sure that everything is moving forward.”
Executive Director Rachel Hise said the AIB would accept an unsigned memorandum of understanding (MOU) from the district ahead of the board’s January 30 meeting to provide conditional approval.
“I'm not saying that's the situation we will be in, but I could envision that they may not be able to submit a fully-signed document by January 16 given the holidays,” she said.
Under the Blueprint, career counselors are meant to work with high and middle school students to offer individualized services and group events to prepare them for post-K-12 life, in partnership with the local community college and workforce board.
Each district received $62 per student to conduct career counseling this past year, totaling just under $7 million for Baltimore County. Hise said those funds can only be used for the specific career counseling purpose – but could fund “contractors” as the district fills full-time positions.
For the 2023-24 school year, Baltimore County leaders said career counseling was largely performed by staff with “existing positions in School Counseling in preparation of new position[s] in 24/25.”
