Maryland House lawmakers are moving forward a heavily-amended version of Governor Wes Moore’s proposed changes to the multi-billion-dollar Blueprint for Maryland’s Future.
Delegates gave initial approval on Wednesday to a version that removes Moore’s suggested cuts to the Blueprint foundational formula and community schools. It also delays funding for in-school teacher planning periods, known as collaborative time, by only one year instead of four.
At a press conference after the vote, Moore avoided directly answering questions about whether he would sign the House version into law.
“The only thing that's going to get my signature at the end of this process is something I believe in,” he said. “I think we have to be smart about the adjustments that we're willing to make, and I think it means we’ve got to prioritize the thing that I think is the biggest issue in education right now. We have far too many kids who are in classrooms without certified educators.”
That’s what motivated Moore’s proposed cuts to collaborative time, which state education leaders said wouldn’t be feasible to implement without first addressing a dire teacher shortage. House lawmakers decided to keep a one-year delay to see if Moore’s proposed teacher recruitment strategies help solve the issue.
In a heated hearing last month, Moore’s chief of staff said the changes would save the state around $1.6 billion over the next four years. That comes as the state stares down a $2.5 billion deficit, and funding set aside for the Blueprint is expected to expire by 2028.
But students, teachers and superintendents testified against the governor’s proposals, saying reduced funding would harm Maryland students. Baltimore City schools CEO Sonja Santelises said then that the district would lose $400 million from the governor’s cuts, when they’re starting to see real progress.
She told WYPR that the House changes address all superintendents’ concerns.
“We were all on the same page that a pause that meant a cut at this stage in Blueprint implementation was going to stifle progress in Baltimore City and deny the ability for other school districts to get things going,” she said. “We'll see what happens with the legislation when it gets to the Senate.”
Once the House gives a final vote of approval, the measure goes to the Senate for review and edits.
Republican delegates tried to push through three new amendments at Wednesday’s voting session to reduce Blueprint spending, all of which failed.
“We need to stand by the taxpayers,” said Delegate Christopher Adams, who introduced one of the amendments. “We need to say to them that we understand the condition that the state's in in our budget cycle this year, and that while we have priorities, and education is the top among those priorities, let's agree that we also need to be accountable and responsible for delivering a balanced budget, that we are spending their money wisely.”
Some Republican lawmakers questioned the effectiveness of the Blueprint.
“It's been five years, five years of massive spending and five years of this bill having been in effect, and yet we still have entire schools where children do not test proficient in math or reading,” said Delegate Mark Fisher.
But Santelises said districts like Baltimore City are seeing early improvements, like increased math and reading proficiency that’s outpacing nationwide growth.
“And what you can't do is three years into legislation, as it's just taking hold now, say, ‘Oh, we're going to do a pause,’” she said. “I think we're going in the right direction, but we're going to make sure our voices carry until the end.”
