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Hundreds of people filled hearing rooms and rallied in Annapolis on Monday as the General Assembly took the unusual step of convening a joint hearing of four House and Senate committees, which, in the next seven weeks, will determine the fate of a three-year multibillion-dollar public school reform effort.
Advocates say recommendations of the Commission on Innovation and Excellence in Education have the potential to transform public schools in Maryland for future generations and correct wealth inequality throughout the state.
The four committees 鈥� the House Appropriations and Ways and Means committees, and the Senate鈥檚 Budget and Taxation and Education, Health and Environmental Affairs committees 鈥� heard testimony from 130 witnesses on Monday, in a hearing that lasted six hours.
House Speaker Adrienne A. Jones (D-Baltimore County) and Senate President Bill Ferguson (D-Baltimore City), who were both members of the commission before rising to their roles in legislative leadership, led off the hearing.
鈥淗ere鈥檚 what we know: the current system is not working,鈥� Jones said. 鈥淲e can鈥檛 be satisfied as policymakers until every child in every Zip code has the chance to succeed. Our most important and sacred duties as elected officials is that we leave a brighter future for our students.鈥�
The legislation, called the 鈥淏lueprint for Maryland鈥檚 Future,鈥� would expand pre-kindergarten programs and career education for high schoolers, increase pay and career opportunities for teachers, and increase state funding for schools with high concentrations of poverty.
The bill sets state funding requirements for newly proposed programs, but does not say how they should be paid for.
Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr. (R) and legislative Republicans have expressed concern about the plan鈥檚 price tag.
Over the weekend, Republican leaders in the House of Delegates sought to聽聽by 48 hours as they waited for a Department of Legislative Services fiscal analysis.
According to the new fiscal note, available Monday morning, state aid to public schools is expected to increase by $2.6 billion annually by 2030; counties would be expected to collectively pay $1.3 billion more annually by 2030.
Jones stressed that the first three years of the bill are already covered.
Ferguson acknowledged that lawmakers will have to consider additional revenue options in the future, with separate revenue-generating bills under consideration this year.
鈥淚t鈥檚 going to cost more than we are spending today. That is a fact and a reality and something we have to own up to,鈥� Ferguson said. 鈥淚 believe that what we see in front of us is not only an investment in the short term, it is a long-term investment that will reap long-term rewards. Not just in our educational outcomes, but in our economic productivity moving forward.鈥�
Here鈥檚 a quick glance at the bill鈥檚 primary focus areas, with some of the testimony from Monday鈥檚 mega-hearing:
Policy Area 1: Pre-kindergarten access
What鈥檚 proposed:聽Kirwan Commissioners want to expand pre-kindergarten access by creating a public-private model to add pre-kindergarten slots through a publicly funded system. The bill would create a state funding program that provides counties with a per-child payment for each kindergarten slot created in a public school or through a contract with a private provider. State funding for pre-kindergarten programs would ramp up over time, with the earliest focus on providing state funding to the low-income four-year-olds 鈥� those from families earning 300 percent of the federal poverty level or less 鈥� who want to enroll.
Why the commission likes it:聽Enrolling more students in pre-kindergarten can alleviate adverse childhood experiences and result in early intervention for learning difficulties. If more children receive interventions at a younger age, they鈥檒l enter elementary and subsequent school levels more prepared, and the state鈥檚 special education population could decrease.
The cost:聽$529 million in state spending annually in 2030
Supporter:聽Montgomery County Executive Marc B. Elrich (D), a former elementary school teacher, said the provisions for pre-kindergarten were 鈥渃ritically important.鈥�
What he had to say:聽鈥淚f kids don鈥檛 come to school ready to learn, they struggle and those struggles stay with them throughout their entire time in school. We know that if you start at a level playing field, you tend to stay level, which means you spend a lot less in remediation. I look at this legislation as a game-changer. I hope that this is the last generation of children that we have to put all these resources into. Because if we鈥檙e successful and their parents have better jobs and better opportunities, we鈥檙e not going to be dealing with the underlying issue of poverty to the extent that we鈥檙e dealing with it today.鈥�
Policy Area 2: High-quality teachers
What鈥檚 proposed:聽The commission proposes an increase in salaries and advancement opportunities for teachers, as well as an increase in the number of teachers statewide. Teachers would reach different rungs on a proposed 鈥渃areer ladder,鈥� including state certification, national certification and teachers could seek to be placed in leadership positions, either as part of a school鈥檚 administration or as mentors for other teachers. County school boards would be required to implement teacher salary increases over time, and all teacher salaries in the state are expected to be $60,000 or more by 2030. There also would be a focus on limiting teachers鈥� classroom duties to allow them more time for planning, mentoring and tutoring students in need.
Why the commission likes it:聽The commission鈥檚 goal is to increase the prestige associated with the teaching profession and make it a long-term career choice for high-achieving students. Commissioners also hoped to increase diversity in the teaching corps through an increase in funding for grants, teaching fellowships and loan repayment programs for those who teach in schools with high concentrations of poverty.
The cost:聽$168 million in state spending in fiscal 2030
厂耻辫辫辞谤迟别谤:听Maleeta Kitchen, Howard County Public Schools math teacher
What she had to say:聽鈥淭he Blueprint also addresses teacher prep and the need to hire more educators of color. It is important for students to see professional educators who look like them 鈥� who look like me. Collaborating with higher education, especially our HBCU鈥檚 will hopefully bring more educators into the field of teaching.鈥�
Seeking amendments:聽Diamont茅 Brown, of the Baltimore Teachers Union, said the proposed career ladders would restrict major salary increases to those teachers who become National Board Certified Teachers. She suggested an amendment to allow additional pathways for advancement in the career ladder.
What she had to say:聽鈥淲e the Baltimore Teachers Union understand that the National Board process can be a great professional development experience, and we are not opposed to it being used and incentivized as teachers hone their craft. We do have concerns about a process with no publicly available disaggregated data on passage rates by teacher race and by the poverty level of students served. Requiring National Board certification statewide could exacerbate equity concerns by making Baltimore City a place to teach where you鈥檙e less likely to advance financially and in the career ladder due to working in schools with concentrated poverty and trauma and less support for navigating the [National Board Certification] process.鈥�
Policy Area 3: College and career readiness
What鈥檚 proposed:聽Under the reform plan, the goal is for students to reach a 鈥渃ollege and career readiness鈥� standard 鈥� initially set as proficiency in 10th grade English and Algebra I 鈥� by the end of their 10th grade year. Once that standard is met, those students would be eligible to enroll in college-level courses or in enhanced career education programs for the rest of their high school career. Students who don鈥檛 meet the standard in their 10th grade year would receive targeted interventions by teachers in an effort to get them to the standard by graduation.
Why the commission likes it:聽An early focus on post-graduation skills could allow students to graduate high school with career certificates or associate degrees, increasing wealth and success as adults. As an incentive, counties would receive a grant each year based on the percentage of students who meet the college and career readiness standard. The bill also includes a $500,000 study to determine if Maryland鈥檚 current career and college readiness standards are high enough.
The cost:聽$26 million in state spending annually by fiscal year 2030
厂耻辫辫辞谤迟别谤:听Brigette Dumais, executive director of the Maryland Workforce Alliance, expressed support for an increased focus on career and technical education programs.
What she had to say:聽鈥淭he increasing cost of college and the student debt crisis have made higher education a barrier to economic opportunity. Instituting robust CTE with paid on-the-job training would allow students to earn as they learn. Through the apprenticeship model, students receive both free college credits and a paycheck, carving a path to debt-free college. Additionally, CTE students will graduate high school with an industry-recognized credential, allowing them to immediately enter the well-paid workforce if they prefer not to go to college.鈥�
Policy Area 4: More resources for at-risk children
What鈥檚 proposed:聽The commission wants to direct additional funding to students who attend schools with higher concentrations of poverty. The bill proposes annual 鈥渃oncentration of poverty鈥� grants to schools with high numbers of so-called 鈥渁t-promise鈥� students to hire a school-based health-care practitioner and provide other wellness programs. The $248,833 grants would be provided in fiscal year 2022 to schools with concentrations of poverty of 80% or higher; the grants would be gradually expanded to cover schools with 55% concentrations of poverty by 2027.
Why the commission likes it:聽While all students who live in poverty may face hardships in school, the commission believes that those burdens are compounded when faced by the majority or nearly all students in a school. Other student groups targeted for increased funding in the bill include students learning English, those enrolled in special education programs, and 鈥渟truggling learners鈥� with low scores on standardized tests.
The cost:聽In 2030, the state鈥檚 annual spending would increase by $692 million for concentration of poverty grants, $182 million for special education, and $57 million to support students learning English.
厂耻辫辫辞谤迟别谤:听Wes Moore, CEO of antipoverty nonprofit Robin Hood and聽New York Times聽best-selling author
What he had to say:聽Moore asked lawmakers to 鈥減lace an equity lens鈥� on the state鈥檚 education funding formula. 鈥淚鈥檓 asking that you not tell our most vulnerable and our most systemically underserved communities to pay for their own poverty鈥�.But communities with the greatest need for these reforms are being asked to pay the most to get services desperately needed in every school and in every community, and that鈥檚 not fair.鈥�
Policy Area 5: Implementation and accountability
What鈥檚 proposed:聽The bill establishes a seven-member Accountability and Implementation Board appointed jointly by the governor, Senate president and House speaker. The board would develop a statewide comprehensive implementation plan to guide reforms and would also approve county-level implementation plans. The board would have the power to withhold 25% of new state funding from counties each fiscal year until the board approves of a county鈥檚 progress toward implementing reforms.
The cost:聽$3.9 million in fiscal year 2030 for the accountability board and expert review teams that will travel the state to determine whether reforms are being successfully implemented in individual schools.
罢别蝉迟颈蹿测颈苍驳:听Warner I. Sumpter, president of the Maryland State Board of Education
What he had to say:聽The state board is enthusiastic about the Blueprint proposal overall, but has 鈥渟ignificant concerns鈥� with the proposed accountability board. 鈥淭he existing structures of the state government are the best mechanisms to provide the necessary governance and accountability sought,鈥� Sumpter said. 鈥溾�nder the oversight of the state board, the Maryland Department of Education has the structure, expertise and experience in place to carry out the responsibilities and charges outlined in this legislation.鈥� He asked the committees to consider an amendment to put the state board in charge of accountability measures.
Maryland Matters reporter Hannah Gaskill contributed to this story.
