Maryland’s Blueprint Education Mandate “Untested, Unaffordable”

To the Editor:

Every child deserves access to an excellent system of education. Their success depends on it, and it is essential to a prosperous future for Maryland.

In Harford County, as in other counties, we prioritize education with funding that totals approximately half of the general fund revenue we collect from taxpayers. Taxpayers expect results in return. Unfortunately, it seems the mandated education reform known as the Blueprint is doing more harm than good.

As a state senator I opposed the Blueprint, despite some positive aspects like raising teacher salaries, because it was untested, unaffordable, and guaranteed to expand the education bureaucracy. The Blueprint’s good intentions are not good enough. We cannot make real progress for students unless we are honest about the negative impact this unfunded plan is already having in classrooms statewide.

A few years into implementation, we find that the plan’s multi-billion dollar spending requirements are diverting funds that could otherwise go to reduce class sizes and pay for essentials like safety and security, transportation, athletics, music, and the arts. Strangely, Blueprint funding does not address these vital components of a quality education.

Moreover, the Blueprint’s staggering $32 billion price tag over ten years willfully ignores real costs. Readers may be shocked to learn that the Blueprint’s estimated cost of providing full day pre-K for 3- and 4-year-olds does not include the cost of building the necessary classroom space.

To fully implement this aspect of the Blueprint, Harford County will need an estimated 2,579 additional pre-K seats. Construction costs alone are estimated at $122M in state and local funds, a figure that’s 40% higher than the highest level of annual capital funding in the history of Harford County Public Schools.

Harford County is by no means alone in facing these unrealistic spending demands. Yet no meaningful changes to the plan have been forthcoming from the unelected Accountability & Implementation Board, which has the power to set Blueprint policy and make decisions that override those of state and local agencies.

Implementing the Blueprint without amendments will require massive tax increases and/or deep cuts to other education services and essential government functions like public safety and road improvements. If we do nothing, a fiscal trainwreck is coming to every corner of the state and citizens will rightly be outraged.

It’s not too late for Maryland lawmakers to act in the upcoming General Assembly session. Pause the Blueprint, listen to educators, parents, and taxpayers, and find a better way.

Bob Cassilly

Harford County Executive