Eastern Shore superintendents present targeted changes to Maryland 'Blueprint' implementation

Superintendents from all nine Eastern Shore public-school systems presented the delegation with a pillar-by-pillar review of Blueprint for Maryland’s Future implementation on Jan. 31, 2025, and urged the General Assembly delegation to pursue targeted legislative changes and administrative action to reduce burdens on small and rural systems.

Dr. Derek Simmons, president of the Eastern Shore Maryland Educational Consortium and superintendent of Caroline County Public Schools, presented regional statistics and a set of recommendations tied to the blueprint’s five pillars. He told delegates the Shore served 63,845 students in 2023–24 and is seeing shifts in student need: the share of students eligible for free or reduced-price meals rose from 45% to 56%, multilingual learners rose from 5% to 7%, and special‑education enrollment rose from 11% to 13%.

On early childhood (Pillar 1), ESMEC asked the state to allow local education agencies (LEAs) to focus public‑school expansion on Tier‑1 four‑year‑olds for the next four years and to remove a required participation percentage for mixed‑delivery (private provider) arrangements. The consortium argued the state should take primary responsibility for cultivating private‑provider capacity so LEAs can focus on public expansion.

Pillar 2 recommendations on teachers and leaders stressed the need for sustainable funding for salary increases, career ladders and professional development. Dr. Jamelle Thompson warned of ongoing teacher shortages in special education and STEM, and the superintendents asked MSDE to revisit mandates that require principals and assistant principals to spend a set amount of time teaching in classrooms, saying that requirement diverts administrators from core supervision and system leadership work.

For college and career readiness (Pillar 3), the Shore highlighted a 29% increase in dual‑enrollment participation and growth in apprenticeships (from seven to 147 students regionwide). Superintendents requested immediate LEA discretion to end pilot partnerships a year early so districts can reallocate resources to pressing tuition and ancillary costs.

Under Pillar 4 (resources for student success), the consortium reported progress expanding behavioral‑health access through coordinated service providers and two regional hubs. It urged a study of differentiated special‑education funding levels (basic/intense/complex) — a structure used in many states — and recommended extending Traditional Supplemental Instruction (TSI) funding beyond FY2026.

On Pillar 5 (governance and accountability), the superintendents described administrative burdens from multiple and overlapping financial reports to MSDE, the AIB and the Department of Legislative Services. They asked that the 75% spending requirement be applied at the district level rather than per school and requested streamlined reporting and more technical support for smaller districts.

Superintendents also raised capital‑improvement program (CIP) concerns: the Interagency Committee on School Construction (IAC) is increasingly asking counties to front‑fund projects to keep schedules, a burden many rural counties cannot sustain. Superintendent Jeff Lawson asked delegates to push for more nuance in legislative responses to blueprint critiques and to consider amendments that address rural implementation realities rather than wholesale repeal.

The delegation committed to follow up on the consortium’s prioritized legislative proposals and to press for local flexibility and funding protections in Annapolis.