Blueprint reform bill continues to advance, heads to full Senate next
A Senate committee voted Wednesday to accept an amended version of its Blueprint for Maryland's Future education reform plan and send it to the full chamber, where a debate is expected to take place Friday.
The Budget and Taxation Committee 9-4 vote not only accepts portions of the 'Excellence in Maryland Public Schools Act' first submitted by Gov. Wes Moore (D), but it also voted to make the House version approved earlier this month conform to the Senate version. If approved by the full Senate sometime early next week, then both bills will be sent back to the House.
Because the delegates rejected many of the governor's proposals, such as a four-year pause in the phase-in of collaborative time for teachers, the House is expected to reject the Senate plan, setting up a conference committee to hash out differences between the House and Senate versions of the bill.
The last day of the legislative session is April 7.
Before its vote Wednesday, the committee discussed amendments approved Tuesday night by the Senate Education, Energy and the Environment Committee, which focused on provisions that mainly deal with statewide and local school system programs and initiatives.
Some members of the Budget and Taxation Committee, which approved the fiscal items in the bill, had questions on some programs such as instructional coaches.
There are about 800 coaches throughout the state, but officials with the state Department of Education said before the Senate education committee Tuesday another 200 would need to be hired under the Blueprint.
About 63% of the current coaches are located in five of the state's 24 school systems, and three school systems – in Western Maryland, Southern Maryland and on the Eastern Shore – have no coaches. Alex Reese, chief of staff at the department, said Tuesday the 'best practice' is a 12-to1 ratio of teachers to a coach, but the current ratio is more like 79:1.
Under the bill, coaches would be housed in the department's new Academic Excellence Program that would provide coaching for teachers and administrators at schools with 'low proficiency rates and declining achievement results in recent years.' During fiscal years 2026 and 2027, the focus would be on literacy in elementary schools.
The program is estimated to cost $17 million next year, which would also include hiring regional program managers to support instructional coaches to provide evidence-based tools and strategies, professional development materials and other guidance.
Sen. Michael Jackson (D-Prince George's Calvert and Charles) wanted to know why three school systems have no coaches. Mike Thomas, deputy legislative officer for the governor, said some instructional coaches went back into the classroom to help teach.
Jackson, who voted for the bill, wasn't pleased that no one from the department appeared Wednesday.
'That's a little troubling for me. This is an important matter,' he said. 'We all want to get this right. This is talking about accountability at all levels.'
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