Dear Maryland Legislature,

With attacks on public education and public employees at an all-time high across this nation, funding for Maryland’s public education and pay and benefits for our public service workers cannot be on the chopping block.

The Blueprint for Maryland’s Future was created to ensure that Maryland students have access to the best possible education – the world-class education they deserve – and we must not waver in our commitment to our children and their future. We cannot allow for this ambitious plan, built through years of hard work, to be undermined by proposed budget cuts that will reduce both the quality and accessibility of education for Maryland’s children.

The proposed cutbacks amount to an almost $300M cut to city schools through 2030, which would have an overwhelming impact on student outcomes in Maryland public schools and would directly impact school programs and growth, in opposition to the Blueprint’s clear goals.

Since its implementation in 2021, the Blueprint has proven its effectiveness. Baltimore City has seen improvement in its public education system, has begun to close the education gap, and has started closing the gap between city school students and the rest of the state.

As stated in the first draft of the state’s budget (HB 350) and in the Budget Reconciliation and Financing Act (HB 352), the proposed changes would delay the Blueprint’s provisions that give educators time to collaborate, prepare for classes, and learn best practices from mentors. They would also pause the expansion of community schools, which account for over 40% of Maryland schools that depend on the funding to provide literacy support and health care to students and families in need.

In addition to the harmful Blueprint cuts, the Legislature has proposed cuts for the Maryland School for the Deaf, which appears to be for no other reason than pure symmetry: that if the state’s public schools see a reduction in funding through the Blueprint, so should MSD. This is patently unfair because MSD does not receive Blueprint funding – it does not receive enhanced programming from the state, and MSD is not eligible for Blueprint enhancements to the per-pupil formula for compensatory or special education students, and many other elements like all other public schools in Maryland.

While the state considers cuts to education, legislators are also considering altering the 1% cost-of-living adjustment and annual increment in pay agreed to by our unions and Governor Moore, threatening the integrity of the bargaining process. For years, our unions have sounded the alarm on critical staffing shortages – many state agencies could not perform their basic duties. Our unions and the Governor have worked together to reverse this trend, and any changes to our agreements will take us backward.

The magnitude of changes proposed in the state’s budget will be a move in the wrong direction. The quality of education for all of Maryland’s children and adequate pay and benefits to fully staff our state agencies must be a priority and should not be tampered with while the state works to balance its budget.

If the proposed cuts move forward, schools will struggle to serve students effectively and harm the state’s efforts to recruit and retain high-quality workers, causing state agencies to struggle to deliver the critical services on which Marylanders rely.

Thank you for your time and consideration.