Excerpt from Baltimore Sun March 4, 2019 Reporter Luke Broadwater
The legislative bill called “Blueprint for Maryland’s Future” — introduced by House of Delegates Speaker Michael Busch and Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller — would provide more than $1 billion in funding from the state budget over the next two years to begin implementing the recommendations from a commission studying how to best improve the state’s schools.
The legislation comes in response to an interim report from the Commission on Innovation and Excellence in Education — the so-called Kirwan commission, nicknamed after its chairman, former University System of Maryland Chancellor William “Brit” Kirwan.
It recommended several proposals to boost schools in Maryland, including implementing full-day prekindergarten that is free for low-income 3- and 4-year olds, and expanding services for even younger children and their families; hiring and retaining high-quality and diverse teachers, and toughening certification standards; increasing standards and services so that all students are ready for college or career, with particular attention on students in schools with high concentrations of poverty; and establishing a strong accountability system to oversee the commission’s recommendations.
To begin paying for the recommendations, the legislation calls for $325 million in increased funding from state taxpayers for public schools for fiscal year 2020 and $750 million in fiscal year 2021.
Research by the nonprofit Education Trust has found that the city of Baltimore and Prince George’s County are the most poorly funded districts in Maryland, compared to their needs.
A study conducted for state legislative analysts last December concluded Baltimore schools were funded adequately in 2008, but now are funded at just 81 percent of their needs. The city schools now receive $290 million less each year than what lawmakers had previously agreed they needed, the study said.
The Kirwan commission also is recommending creating an oversight board with the authority to make certain that new funds are used to implement its policy recommendations effectively. Article by Reporter Luke Broadwater.
