EASTERN SHORE OF MARYLAND - This time of year marks budget season for counties on Maryland's Eastern Shore as school districts work toward the required implementation of the "Blueprint for Maryland's Future."
The Blueprint, passed by state lawmakers in 2021, includes provisions requiring more funding for early childhood education, higher teacher pay, and new curriculum standards.
The Blueprint's key pillars include:
- By this year: Changing the curriculum standards to make students more college and career ready.
- By 2025: Expanding pre-K to all 4-year-olds and low-income 3-year-olds.
- By 2026: Starting salaries for teachers must reach $60,000 a year.
While the Blueprint increases state funding for education, counties and taxpayers will also need to spend more.
While many deadlines to implement the Blueprint's provisions are still years away, school districts are in their familiar yearly battle for more funding.
In Wicomico County, education takes the biggest bite out of the county's proposed budget. Superintendent Dr. Micah Stauffer says funding above 'maintenance of effort' — the bare minimum allowed by the state — is crucial.
"Any additional funding that we can receive now from the local county government will only serve as the bridge for what those cost shifts may be as we get into the later years," he said.
Dr. Stauffer says this year's increases are to keep up with inflation, but in the future, the board could ask for more to implement the Blueprint.
Council President John Cannon says the council is approaching the board's budget conservatively.
"The Board of Education has asked for about $4.1 million above maintenance of effort. The council is reviewing that to see if we want to honor that or any portion of that. Currently, we're also looking at major capital expenses by funding the Fruitland Primary School," he said.
In Worcester County, yard signs show community support for funding the public school system. At recent commissioners' meetings, a chorus of voices supported full funding.
"Fully funding our education system shouldn't be a question." said one person.
"Again, I want you to fully fund our budget," said another.
"You are forgetting that at the heart of our schools is a child looking at you," a speaker said to the commissioners.
Last week, Worcester County funded education $6 million above 'maintenance of effort,' including a cost of living adjustment for teacher pay.
But there's also the challenge of hiring teachers. Somerset County Superintendent Dr. John Gaddis says this year has been the hardest with implementing the Blueprint. Gaddis says staffing is the biggest challenge.
"Teaching is not the profession that it used to be. It used to be you started teaching, stayed in the same place for 30 plus years, retired, and moved on with life. We're finding it's hard to keep teachers for five years," he said.
In Dorchester County, Council President Lenny Pfeffer says previous budget increases for the Blueprint have been devastating.
"Over the years, the Blueprint is expected to go up about $7 million in Dorchester County. We've already told the school system that they have to be prepared with the money that we're giving them to make all the implementations that they need to," he said.
DCPS Interim Superintendent Dr. Jymil Thompson says "We have all these culminating events taking place at one time and it's causing a strain and strife. I hope the state is willing to give us more money as it relates to the Blueprint. The county, I don't know if that's going to be doable, but hopefully something happens where we can all come together and increase our revenue."
Back to Somerset County, Dr. Gaddis says the district will hire a Blueprint coordinator next year, a position every district in the state has added or will be adding.
The law also allows the state to withhold funding from school districts if it determines those districts are not meeting the requirements of the rollout.