This article was republished with permission from 91欧美激情’s news partners at .聽Sign up for today.
This content was republished with permission from 91欧美激情鈥檚 news partners at Maryland Matters. Sign up for today.
Frustrations boiled over at the start of an education reform meeting in Annapolis on Thursday, following Republican Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr.鈥檚 earlier comments that the commission鈥檚 initial legislation was 鈥渉alf-baked.鈥�
William E. 鈥淏rit鈥� Kirwan, chairman of the Commission on Innovation and Excellence, which has recommended top-to-bottom education K-12 education reforms in the state, called Hogan鈥檚 statement 鈥渦nfair鈥� and 鈥渄emeaning鈥� at a meeting of officials plotting a funding formula to cover the pricey reforms.
Kirwan ran down some of the commission鈥檚 recommendations 鈥� to elevate the status of the teaching profession, provide extra supports to low-income students and expand early education programs.
鈥淭his is the plan Gov. Hogan said the commission advanced with little thought. Fortunately, he seems to be alone in that view,鈥� Kirwan said, noting that the Senate unanimously supported the legislation and that House members overwhelmingly advanced it.
Hogan, in his closing address at the Maryland Association of Counties summer conference last week, said the commission and legislators had hurtled forward with initial education reform measures that are estimated to eventually cost up to $3.8 billion annually without identifying a long-term funding source first.
Hogan also recited a set of statistics his administration often refers to: that funding the Kirwan Commission proposals would require a 39% increase in the personal income tax, an 89% hike in the sales tax, or a 535% boost in property taxes. Hogan vowed that such increases would never happen so long as he鈥檚 governor.
But during a meeting of the funding workgroup Thursday, Kirwan pushed back against such figures, 鈥渨hich we would never do, of course.鈥�
It鈥檚 extraordinarily unlikely that the state would find funding for education reforms exclusively from one tax or another, which is how the eye-popping Hogan administration figures are calculated. However, the commission is open to recommendations about blunting the cost hikes for counties and for the state, Kirwan said.
Other officials in Maryland have made recommendations to alter the commission鈥檚 plans, including extending an implementation timeline, or adding 鈥渢riggers鈥� to the funding scheme to provide funding at certain milestones.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 the kind of constructive suggestion that deserves consideration,鈥� Kirwan said.
Budget Secretary David R. Brinkley, though, defended the governor鈥檚 comments. He said officials angered by the speech were focused on a few words, and not the overall substance, which was 鈥渞ight on.鈥�
Maryland Budget Secretary David R. Brinkley at a meeting of The Blueprint for Maryland鈥檚 Future Funding Formula Workgroup. Photo by Danielle E. Gaines
Because the funding workgroup is still working out details on who should pay what and when, the public has not been given good and fair warning about the reform effort鈥檚 costs, Brinkley said.
鈥淲e don鈥檛 know where we鈥檙e getting the revenues from, we don鈥檛 know what the priorities are going to be, and the counties don鈥檛 have the answer on what their portion is. 鈥he fact of the matter is, this isn鈥檛 done. By definition, that could be a half-baked cake.鈥�
He also argued that Hogan has 鈥渂een a good partner鈥� by allowing the legislation to take effect without his signature and releasing funding the General Assembly restricted for Kirwan priorities.
Alvin Thornton, the Prince George鈥檚 County school board president and Howard University administrator who spearheaded Maryland鈥檚 last education funding reform push in 2002, encouraged all of Maryland鈥檚 leaders and officials to avoid politicizing the commission鈥檚 work.
House Appropriations Chairwoman Maggie L. McIntosh (D-Baltimore City) said the governor鈥檚 comments were 鈥渄iscouraging.鈥�
鈥淏ut there is a great deal of hope in the work that we have done, and we are committed to Maryland鈥檚 children moving forward,鈥� she said. 鈥溾�e have to adopt these recommendations, fund them and implement them.鈥�
Sen. Bill Ferguson (D-Baltimore City) said it was difficult to convey the level of anger and frustration he felt over the weekend after reading the governor鈥檚 comments.
鈥淎ll of us in this room have the capacity and the capability to have reasonable conversations and this is a moment where I invite the governor to please, be a part of a solution,鈥� Ferguson said. 鈥淭his is an incredibly important moment in Maryland and for the entire country. We solve and get through this crisis by working together. 鈥his is something the people of Maryland want us to do and I urge the administration to reconsider its approach.鈥�
Kata Hall, a spokeswoman for Hogan, took a swipe at some of the lawmakers on the Kirwan Commission, accusing them of launching partisan attacks against the governor.
鈥淲e have heard nothing today from partisan legislators to suggest that they have a real plan, a strategy, or even an inkling of how to fund the Kirwan blueprint,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hey clearly resent the fact that Governor Hogan is the only one being honest with Marylanders about the true price tag.鈥�
Hall said Hogan was determined to continue to sound the alarm about the costs associated with the Kirwan plan, 鈥渆ven if it means some bruised egos along the way.鈥�
Harford County Executive Barry Glassman (R), who has suggested a longer implementation timeline to help counties cope with increasing costs, said county leaders are deeply concerned with coming up with their share of the increased costs, which still hasn鈥檛 been determined.
鈥淢aryland county leaders are concerned 鈥� rich counties, poor counties and those of us in between. We are really concerned about the implications of some of the fiscal discussions that we鈥檝e had,鈥� Glassman said Thursday. 鈥淏ut, Mr. Chairman, we are ready to get down to work and get to the nitty-gritty.鈥�
The workgroup hopes to finalize a funding formula to present to the full Kirwan Commission this fall.
