[Baltimore Sun] FOX45: Gov. Moore, GOP House leader both say ‘adjustments’ need to be made to education Blueprint
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Adjusting the multi-billion-dollar education spending plan in Maryland is something Republicans and others have been calling for, and now, Gov. Wes Moore signaled he, too, is interested in exploring making changes.
During an exclusive interview with FOX45 News, Moore made it clear he supports the tenants of the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future — a 10-year, multi-billion plan — but said there are “real challenges” in ensuring its implementation.
“While I believe in making sure that we have a world class education system, we’ve got to be able to work together to create an actual plan to be able to implement it because right now there are real challenges in being able to get that done and get it done in a way that the locals, and the state and every other partner who’s involved sees that taking place,” Moore said. “So, there have to be adjustments.”
What those adjustments will look like has yet to be determined. When asked, Moore said, “all options need to be on the table,” and doubled down on the need to work with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle to find a consensus. Moore noted historic events have happened since the Blueprint was first drafted — like the COVID-19 pandemic — and he said the State Board of Education has a new leader, Carey Wright, on board now to oversee students’ learning in the classroom.
“I’m really proud of the work that Dr. Wright is doing and her ability to be able to move forward in a really in a really prompt and but also a really data-driven way about how we’re thinking about” what students need to succeed in various courses, Moore said.
“We also know that when this was first implemented, it was done not via cooperation but via a [veto] override,” Moore added. “However, we’ve got to make sure we have a plan that has buy in and has a plan that has a feasible financial pathway and that’s what we that’s the work we got to do.”
During an interview on “FOX45 News In Depth with Mikenzie Frost,” House Minority Leader Jason Buckel, a Republican from Allegany County, noted the significance of Moore’s comments regarding making changes to the Blueprint.
“That’s the first time I’ve ever heard a leading Democrat in Maryland say, ‘I don’t think we might be able to afford the Blueprint’ — at least that’s what I took Gov. Moore’s comments to be,” Del. Buckel said. “That’s the first time anybody has said that. I’m not sure how his colleagues in Annapolis will feel about that because not one of them has ever stepped out of line on the Blueprint so far.”
When asked what changes he could see lawmakers making come January when the General Assembly resumes, Del. Buckel said lawmakers need to decide what tenants of the Blueprint are “mission critical.”
There are five pillars included in the decades-long plan: expanding pre-Kindergarten to all 4-year-olds in Maryland, as well as low-income 3-year-olds; college and career readiness changes to curriculum; expanding funding for teacher salaries; improving teacher workforce and created a state agency to oversee the Blueprint.
Del. Buckel said he supports vocational and career readiness training but said the pre-kindergarten expansion may not be necessary for everyone and boosting teacher salaries to the same level in all areas may not be the best move.
“Maybe we need to not have the one-sized fits all for this type of things,” he said.
The next legislative session is scheduled to begin in January 2025 and is expected to include months of discussions about budgets, funding decisions, and how to pay for priorities like the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future.
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