Blueprint roundtable at MACO conference sees counties across the state voicing frustration

OCEAN CITY, MD – Representatives from counties and school districts across the state met in Ocean City Wednesday, voicing their frustration and concern over the implementation of the Blueprint for Maryland’s future education overhaul.

From Montgomery to Somerset, officials spoke out about a lack of transparency and unclear levels of state funding that they say has them anxious about funding the many requirements of the blueprint.

Speaking at the roundtable at the MACO conference say they’re concerned over who’s going to pay for the 60k-a-year starting salary for all teachers starting July 2026.

Wicomico County Executive Julie Giordano says it could see her county modifying its revenue cap to help keep up.

“I think that the revenue cap will definitely have to be something to be looked at,  I don’t want my constituents worried, saying we don’t want the revenue cap to go away, but whether it needs to be modified or adjusted will have to be looked at just solely because of Kerwin and the demands of it,” Giordano said.

Montgomery County officials say they were able to get their teachers to a 57 thousand dollar year starting salary, but that created issue for more senior staff members whose wages are indexed based on the starting salary figure.

They say on the back end, the districts will also end up paying more in retirement costs as those figures are also based on salary.

Giordano as well as officials from Montgomery and Anne Arundel counties also voiced concerns over universal childcare implementation, saying the state needed to decide if outside child providers could be used to help the districts comply given their space challenges. She tells us the licensing needs to be improved as well as not all child care centers would qualify under the current structure, with her concerned many might be found to unfit for the license, and left without students who are mandated to be in schools.

“There are some parents that don’t choose pre-K and that’s okay. but we have a mandate now, and so daycare providers are either going to have to get certified as a certified teacher or they’re going to lose those students,” Giordano said.

Delegate Wayne Hartman was in the room for the meeting and says the concerns raised were nothing new, but he is glad to see that concerns exist on both sides of the bridge, as he says that increases the chances of the general assembly intervening to push some of the deadlines in the Blueprint.

“If it’s just one complaining, they might say, well, you’re going to need to fix it, but if it’s all the counties on board, then I feel better that you know what, the leadership’s going to take a look at it, we’re going to revisit this and hopefully, there’s a better outcome,” Hartman said.

But one county is also asking for more than a delay, but rather a re-evaluation of the funding formula used by Blueprint to determine how much of the financial burden falls on the state, and how much falls on the county.

Worcester County Council Member Chip Bertino tells 47ABC the current funding formula designates Worcester County as the wealthiest county on the eastern shore, despite what he calls a tremendous amount of need in the community.

“We have a dynamic in Worcester County that is relatively unique in that we are considered the wealthiest county in the state, yet a good portion of our population falls under the poverty line,” Bertino said adding “We have 43, almost 44% of our kids that are on free and assisted meals, and when you get below Berlin and you find that the there’s a higher level of poverty, which is not reflected in the funding formula.”

Bertino says the funding has him concerned as Maintenance of Effort rules means funds that are given to the schools cannot be reverted, even if state dollars were to decline, something he tells us the projected deficit has him and other counties anxious about the future of education funding in the state.

“I think what [the roundatble] does is it coalesces the smaller counties throughout the state on a singular objective, which is that we’re all having challenges with the funding formula as it currently is,” Bertino said.