All local Blueprint plans get approval
Release of billions in funds for fiscal 2024 follows vote by state accountability board
The state accountability board overseeing how each of Maryland’s 24 school districts will implement the landmark Blueprint for Maryland’s Future reform voted Thursday to approve all local plans.
The Blueprint will funnel billions into Maryland schools over the next decade. The money will go toward improving early childhood education, fostering high-quality and diverse teachers, strengthening college and career readiness, allocating more resources for student success and implementing accountability, according to the Blueprint’s five pillars.
School systems for Baltimore City and Baltimore, Anne Arundel, Carroll, Harford and Howard counties were among 20 districts receiving approval without conditions. Queen Anne’s, Calvert, Charles and Garrett counties’ plans also were permitted, but with conditions.
After this approval, Blueprint funds for fiscal 2024 will be released across the state.
“This is a major step in the process that challenges Maryland’s education leaders to rethink and re-imagine the way they work with students and families to ensure their education prepares students to succeed in an ever-changing world,” said accountability board chair Isiah “Ike” Leggett in a news release. “The [Accountability & Implementation Board] will be investing in technical assistance partners for each school system to support them as they turn the Blueprint’s vision into actionable plans.”
Implementation plans were submitted in March and went through two revision cycles with the Maryland State Department of Education before they were sent to the accountability board for approval. The proposals cover the past two school years and the upcoming one, including information about how the systems have been implementing the Blueprint and
how they plan to do so in the future.
Baltimore City’s plan focuses on hiring teachers, providing early interventions for high school students and adding more prekindergarten offerings. The influx of state and local funding will help the city further those programs, most of which already exist.
City officials will use Blueprint funds to add staff positions, increase teacher pay and offer incentives to encourage teachers to seek additional certifications. Despite the new funding, reaching some reform goals will be challenging in the short term, city officials say.
“The hiring environment is not optimal for that kind of scale-up, and that certainly isn’t unique to Baltimore City,” Sandi Jacobs, the city’s Blueprint coordinator, said in March.
Baltimore County Public Schools had planned to add 810 full-day prekindergarten seats for the 2023-24 school year, according to a Feb. 28 presentation to the county Board of Education. The approved plan, however, aims to add 510 seats to 4-year-old prekindergarten classes and projects an enrollment of 820 students. Last academic year, Baltimore County reported 269 students enrolled in prekindergarten.
As part of the Blueprint’s college- and career-readiness pillar, Baltimore County prioritized community college access. The plan states that its students can take an unlimited number of classes at the Community College of Baltimore County, with the system funding books and fees. Since the program was introduced last summer, enrollment has increased 65%.
Likewise, Howard County Public School System eligible students may take classes at Howard Community College as part of a dual enrollment program.
Baltimore County said it’s implementing the Blueprint English learner work group recommendations. The initiative recommends, for example, that English for speakers of other languages, or ESOL, students return from specialized centers to their regular schools.
Similarly, Carroll County Public Schools will translate documents to make prekindergarten program information more available to families of English learners. Harford County Public Schools will increase the number of English learner support staff.
At the accountability board meeting Thursday, William Kirwan, the chairman of the “Kirwan” Commission, which developed recommendations that led to the creation of the Blueprint, praised Anne Arundel County for its work around the number of teachers with the National Board Certifications, suggesting its efforts should be modeled for other districts.
The board shared that all implementation plans were strong in supporting prekindergarten expansion, as well as teacher recruitment and retention. Areas for improvement, to panel noted, include the implementation of high-quality school day tutoring and the development of career ladders.
The state education department presented its own implementation plan. The accountability board reviewed the proposal but did not vote on it, instead making suggestions for revision.