Howard County school district on track with "Blueprint for Maryland's Future" plans
BALTIMORE -- Howard County leaders say its school district is on track, meeting goals set in the "Blueprint for Maryland's Future" plan.
The education reform plan was passed by Maryland's state legislature in 2021 and it invests billions into public education over the next decade.
District's progress report
A news conference going over the county's progress report for the plan felt more like a celebration, however, there are still some areas of improvement.
Howard County Executive Calvin Ball and Howard County Public School System Superintendent Bill Barnes were some of the leaders who touted big gains in the county's implementation of the blueprint plan.
Ball noted that HCPSS' budget increased by more than 30% since 2020, to the $1.15 billion budget for the 2024-2025 school year.
One big investment, and one of the main pillars in the blueprint plan, includes expanding the number of full-day pre-k classrooms. There are more than 900 seats in the school district this year.
"An investment in early childhood is an investment in ensuring every one of our students enters kindergarten with the skills, knowledge and experiences that are required for success," Barnes said.
Tuesday's report is the result of a 15-member work group made up of various Howard County leaders and stakeholders. While the group will no longer be meeting, the partnerships made will continue to ensure blueprint goals are met.
"As we continue to evolve with the state, we're gonna continue to invest in our children, our families, and our educators," Ball said. "To ensure that every one of them has the best teaching and learning environment."
Other wins noted in the progress report were more investment in career counseling and other related programs for students and increased funding for special education.
New contract for educators
Minimum teacher pay was increased to $60,000 this school year after the school district agreed to a new contract with the Howard County Education Association, who represents the educators.
Benjamin Schmitt, HCEA's president, said keeping teachers is still a struggle. Ball and Barnes, though, said there are incentives and other factors that help with recruiting.
"Here in Howard County, we've seen ranks of teachers on provisional licenses continue to grow," Schmitt said. "This creates a revolving door that stresses HCPSS to continually hire hundreds of new teachers every year. We want all of our schools and our kids to have educators who they know and trust and build relationships with year after year."
