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Kent County commissioners urge MAKO action on education funding rollout, consider legislative initiative
Summary
Commissioners discussed submitting a legislative initiative to the Maryland Association of Counties (MAKO) asking for changes or a pause to the Blueprint for Maryland's Future funding rollout, citing large projected local costs and the county's low wealth formula ranking.
Kent County commissioners on Tuesday discussed pushing MAKO and other statewide groups to seek legislative changes or relief tied to the Blueprint for Maryland's Future, saying the local cost of implementing the education funding reforms will be substantial and could require large property tax increases.
The discussion centered on whether Kent should submit one of its allowed legislative initiative proposals for MAKO's 2026 slate and to push for a broader inter-county effort to address both the Blueprint funding schedule and the statewide wealth formula, which county officials and public commenters said disadvantages rural jurisdictions.
Why it matters: Commissioners said the county faces an estimated multi‑million dollar obligation over the next several years to meet Blueprint requirements and that existing state funding formulas (the "wealth formula") amplify the local burden. Several commissioners and staff urged coordinating with other Eastern Shore and rural counties and bringing the issue to MAKO's legislative committee and membership for a unified approach before the 2026 session.
What was proposed and next steps: Commissioners instructed staff to prepare a potential submission for MAKO (deadline noted in the meeting as June 27 for ideas) and recommended outreach to MAKO's legislative committee and affiliated groups to build a regional strategy. They also discussed requesting that MAKO host a substantive session on the Blueprint at an upcoming conference rather than a promotional presentation.
Public comment and context: A public commenter, Francois Sullivan of Wharton, urged the county to use any MAKO initiative to press for changes to the state wealth formula as a parallel issue, arguing the formula increases county costs for school construction and operations. Sullivan also suggested rural counties form a coalition to press the point at the legislature.
No formal vote was taken; commissioners directed staff to develop draft language for a potential MAKO initiative and continue outreach to regionally affected jurisdictions.
