And other legislative updates in this week’s Up the Street
Education money missing from Hogan’s proposed FY23 budget
In a disappointing retelling of a disastrous education policy, Governor Hogan omitted nearly $140 million in education funding from the budget he proposed for fiscal year 2023. Among the damaging omissions was the adjustment of the education effort that the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future called upon the state. funds to help the City of Baltimore and Prince George’s County cover new local Blueprint FY23 program costs. His move, which may not be legal, would result in a $99 million reduction for the city of Baltimore and a $26.5 million reduction for Prince George’s County. That and an additional $14 million missing from Hogan’s budget (SB 290/HB 300) squarely hit the historically underserved populations that the Master Plan was specifically intended to lift. Blueprint supporters fought to include funding for the education effort in the final legislation, and House Speaker Adrienne Jones (D-Baltimore County) was quick to speak out against Hogan’s omission.
Hogan’s attempted cuts come from an often-used playbook in his playbook about announced funding levels in his pre-budget press releases to mask the actual cuts he proposed to expected school funding levels. . This decision dates back to his very first budget as governor, where he proposed more than $100 million in cuts, and extends to two summers ago, when he proposed more than $300 million in cuts. amid the pandemic. Now Hogan is trying to cut Blueprint funds again before he even starts. Click here to email your lawmakers and urge them to restore these long-awaited and needed funds for our schools.
Beyond reducing the education effort, Hogan cut millions of additional dollars in Blueprint funding, including:
- $7.2 million for training teachers and leaders
- $2.7 million for state curriculum model and teaching materials
- $1.3 million for expert review teams
- $1 million for national board certification
- $800,000 for the vocational and technical training committee and the skills council
- $700,000 in behavioral health training
- $500,000 college and career readiness assimilating studies
To compound the losses, Hogan proposed phasing out a range of revenue sources from FY23 to FY27, which would turn a $4 billion budget surplus into a deficit in four years. Hogan’s proposed cuts, according to estimates by the nonpartisan Department of Legislative Services (DLS), would reduce revenue by $224 million in FY23 and $942 million in 2027. The DLS found that K-12 education costs required under current law will exceed the expected level. by the governor. Adjusting the forecast to reflect DLS estimates of education aid results in a structural budget deficit in fiscal year 2027 after taking into account the revenue cuts proposed by Hogan.
The MSEA will review all short- and long-term implications of the Governor’s proposed budget and advocate for appropriate amendments, including the restoration of Governor-imposed budget cuts. Lawmakers can only increase spending if they can find equivalent cuts elsewhere. One likely source of such a reduction is an area that DLS-suggested lawmakers are considering; if they want to alter Hogan’s plan to appropriate $2.4 billion for the Rainy Day State Reserve Fund. This credit would bring the fund to a total of nearly $3.6 billion, or 15.9% of general fund revenue. The Expenditure Affordability Committee recommends a 9% reserve.
NEWS AND NOTES
AIB Executive Director comes from DLS staff involved in Blueprint development
The Accountability and Implementation Board (AIB) Blueprint has hired a significant number of people as it begins administering the Blueprint statewide. Rachel Hise, a DLS analyst who has worked on the legal and tax details of the Blueprint since its launch, has been named executive director of the AIB. Hise was the main employee of the Kirwan Commission, and her extensive knowledge allows her to jump into her new position quickly.
State Council reviews basic features of master plan, career incentives and strategic plan
On January 25, the State Board of Education (SBOE) learned that Superintendent Mohammed Choudhury’s office had asked AIB for an extension to the 2022-2023 deadline to meet some of the Blueprint’s expectations for school readiness. University and Career (CCR). The requirement for secondary school students to meet CCR standards (pass English, History and Maths standards) by the end of their 10and school year started this school year. By next school year, the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) was to have developed support pathways to help students if they were not meeting standards by the end of the term. 10th year. This delay assumed that the Blueprint had been implemented almost a year earlier than it was, instead of being delayed by Hogan’s veto.
Choudhury and the board have also struggled with the Blueprint’s description of “low-performing schools,” which are set to receive special funding and staffing, and the relationship between those schools and the Blueprint’s salary incentives for Nationally Certified Educators. Board (NBC): A $10,000 pay raise for teachers who have or get NBC, and an additional $7,000 for an NBC educator to teach in an underperforming school. The definition of a low-performing school is a one- or two-star school as defined by the state accountability system or a school that a district identifies as being in the bottom 10% of performers. Currently, there are 92 “low performing” schools by this definition.
In other SBOE news, Rachel McCusker, the first-ever educator board member, now has a place on its four-member strategic planning committee, which will set the board’s vision for the next few years. MSDE says community engagement is a priority, and for its strategic plan, it starts with community meetings and inviting the public to take a survey to help set goals.
Legislative district map approved, all but settled as trial looms
A new legislative district map was approved this week when the House voted in favor of SJ 2/HJ 2, which the Senate approved last week. The House Committee on Rules and Executive Appointments voted on Tuesday to move it to the full House, where it passed the party on Thursday. It became law immediately after House approval, but Fair Maps Maryland said it would file a legal challenge. That would mean the case will go to the Maryland Court of Appeals, where the majority of judges are appointed by Hogan. The legal challenge has the potential to confuse potential candidates this year, who have a Feb. 22 filing deadline to run in districts that are in limbo if the court chooses to act against the legislature. .
Congressional districts also on the line, congressional committee comes to the aid
Meanwhile, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee entered the fray in support of the map of congressional districts that the Legislative Redistricting Advisory Commission produced and the General Assembly adopted in December. The DCCC is acting to stop the lawsuit opponents have filed to replace this card. Opponents include Republicans from various congressional districts in Maryland and supporters of Hogan.
2022 CAMPAIGN
Nine Gubernatorial Candidates Seeking MSEA Endorsement Participate in Education Forum
The MSEA hosted a virtual Candidates Forum on January 26 that featured nine Democratic gubernatorial candidates seeking MSEA’s recommendation. MSEA President Cheryl Bost moderated the event, where candidates answered identical questions about how they would respect and support educators, fund education and whether they fully support the Blueprint and the right to negotiate class sizes, among other matters. Rushern Baker, Jon Baron, Peter Franchot, Doug Gansler, Ashwani Jain, John King, Wes Moore, Laura Neuman and Tom Perez took part.
