When the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future was first introduced in the state legislature during the 2020 session, the bill received bipartisan support and was widely championed by legislators across the state. This model policy aims to recruit and retain high-quality teachers, expand full-day pre-kindergarten, advance college and career readiness, and ultimately change our education delivery model as we know it.
While this plan aspires to move us even further towards quality education for all, we must acknowledge that this ambitious plan is not without its challenges. Across the country and here in Maryland, our current fiscal reality questions the long-term feasibility of implementation. The absence of a dedicated revenue stream from the State makes it challenging for local jurisdictions to enact these measures on our own.
This week at the annual Maryland Association of Counties winter conference, the state of Maryland’s economy and next steps for the Blueprint will be widely discussed. For local jurisdictions, we must balance the competing community needs, while also prioritizing significant funding for education. This goal can be achieved through innovative partnerships with community institutions.
In May 2023, I established the Howard County Blueprint Resources Planning Workgroup to ensure we would be on target to hit critical benchmarks set forth by the State. Comprised of community stakeholders, this workgroup collaborated over a year to discuss policy recommendations that would increase investments for all our students, starting with our youngest learners. Through this important work, we continue to dismantle silos, improve collaboration among educational entities, and establish a coordinated strategy to successfully achieve the Blueprint goals.
The Blueprint calls for expanding full-day pre-k. Howard County has increased capacity from approximately 300 students in the 2021-2022 school years to nearly 950 seats today. Thanks to $23 million in state funding from our Howard County delegation, we are transforming a vacant community center into a regional early childhood education center, creating 260 more seats.
The Blueprint was envisioned to create the best teaching and learning environment for our students and our educators. A critical component of that outcome is the recruitment and retention of high-quality educators. In Howard County, starting teacher salaries have grown more than 25%, meeting the Blueprint requirements of $60,000 ahead of its implementation date. We have also partnered with the Howard County Public School System to fund National Board Certification incentive pay to qualified educators by enacting a Career Ladder.
College and career readiness is a cornerstone of this initiative, and our Howard Community College plays a critical role in elevating options for high school students embarking on their college and career journeys. Eligible students can earn up to 60 college credits while enrolled in high school and have access to free Advanced Placement tests. Partnering with our office of Workforce Development, we have provided training and apprenticeships to create a pipeline of skilled workers who will go on to advance our local and state economy.
The workgroup concluded in September, and I believe their robust deliberations have led to innovative partnerships within our existing community institutions. As a result of our impactful investments and across every Pillar of the Blueprint, Howard County has acted with intention and diligence to meet the vision of the Blueprint set forth by the Kirwan Commission. We do so because we recognize that our work has a direct impact on the academic and lifelong success of our next generation.
This spirit of collaboration must make its presence during the upcoming Maryland General Assembly. To build a truly world-class educational system where no student is left behind, the state and local jurisdictions must work together, aligning resources and investments. This work cannot succeed is silos, and it cannot survive by local jurisdictions alone. For the Blueprint to thrive, we must continue to move forward – together.
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