Gov. Wes Moore’s proposal to cut parts of Maryland’s ambitious education plan was rebuked by the state’s school superintendents, teachers and education advocates, putting the passage of a key piece of his legislative agenda in jeopardy.

The strong opposition leaves little chance that Moore’s legislation — which would reduce net spending by $1.6 billion over four years — will remain unchanged before it gets a legislative vote.

During a four-hour, standing-room-only joint hearing of House and Senate committees Wednesday, educators said the Moore administration had left them out of the discussion on how to reduce the cost or modify what is considered one of the most consequential pieces of education legislation in the past decade — known as the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future.

Superintendents and educators said the Moore administration had failed to gain consensus or even inform them of the details before it introduced the legislation in January, but they said they are available now to negotiate changes.

The chairs of two key House of Delegates committees that will consider Moore’s proposal, Vanessa Atterbeary and Ben Barnes, said they will not cut Blueprint funding increases, although they are open to some of the governor’s policy proposals that they believe may strengthen the current law.

“The bill will look different coming out,” said Atterbeary, a Democrat from Howard County who chairs the House Ways and Means Committee. “We are keeping our commitments to our students.” Barnes chairs the House Appropriations Committee.

Sen. Guy Guzzone, chair of the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee, said he expected numerous alterations to the bill. “As it relates to poverty components, I will not be supporting cutting anything in that area,” the Howard County Democrat said.

Republicans said Moore’s bill acknowledges what they’ve said for some time, that the Blueprint costs more than the state can afford.

“The entire Blueprint needs to be reevaluated,” said Senate minority leader Sen. Steve Hershey, a Republican from the Eastern Shore. “Maryland simply can’t move forward with it in its current posture.”

Moore did not testify during the hearing and instead sent staff to defend his bill. Moore argues that adjustments are needed three years into the 10-year plan.

“As is true with any major reform, the Blueprint is a living framework and must adapt to stay effective and impactful,” said Fagan Harris, Moore’s chief of staff.

Most significant is the pause in a plan to increase the amount of teacher planning time and reduce their teaching load. Research has found that students whose teachers spend more time outside of the classroom planning with colleagues have higher achievement levels. But, facing a teacher shortage, Moore says the plan should pause that component.

Superintendents and local educators are concerned at the ripple effect that pause would have in reducing the promised increases in funding for students who are learning English as a second language and poor students. Pausing the so-called collaborative time would save the state $759 million over four years.

The bill also calls for freezing the funding for community schools, which offer additional services such as health care and counseling, in high-poverty neighborhoods. Harris argued that some districts are still figuring out the best way to make the model work and need more time to fine-tune their approaches.

At least nine school superintendents — including most superintendents in Baltimore-area districts — testified in person, saying students across the state are beginning to show academic progress since the new funding began hitting classrooms three years ago.

Baltimore schools CEO Sonja Santelises said Moore’s bill as drafted would reduce the promised increases in funding for city schools by nearly $400 million over the next four years. She called the potential loss devastating and implored lawmakers to resist cutting money for community schools and collaborative time.

Baltimore schools have seen significant gains in reading test scores, particularly in fourth grade, and had some of the highest increases in the state. More city students are reading on grade level than they were before the pandemic tanked academic progress across the country.

“It is undeniable the concentrations of poverty investments are making the difference in outcomes,” Santelises said.

But superintendents from small counties, including Caroline and Kent counties on the Eastern Shore, also pleaded with the legislators not to pause parts of the Blueprint they say are helping their students.

Kent County Superintendent Mary McComas said she would have to increase class sizes, slash extracurricular activities and make other changes in her tiny county.

Karen Yoho, a Frederick County school board member, said cuts “will have impacts on our ability to operate, meet our fiscal obligations” and achieve the goals of the Blueprint.

Moore has said he supports the Blueprint’s full implementation, but he also faces a budget shortfall. Although there is enough money to pay for the increases in education funding for the next year, pausing some aspects of it now would delay a large budget gap in subsequent years.

Between the pluses and minuses, the net savings to the state would be about $107 million in the next budget year, growing to $666 million four years from now.

Moore’s bill calls for adding some programs that do not have the full support of local school superintendents, including programs to improve the state’s reading and math instruction and alleviate the state’s teacher shortage.

Moore spokesperson Carter Elliott IV said the governor “looks forward to continuing conversations with the state legislature and all partners involved to ensure the long-term success and sustainability” of the Blueprint.

About the Education Hub

This reporting is part of The Banner’s Education Hub, community-funded journalism that provides parents with resources they need to make decisions about how their children learn. Read more.