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Board staff tracking 39 education bills as members press for blueprint flexibility and oppose legislative phone mandates
Summary
At a Jan. 14 committee meeting, staff said they are tracking 39 education bills, including four cell‑phone bills the district opposes because the board prefers to make policy locally. Committee members and MABE delegates expressed concern about state 'blueprint' requirements and a looming state budget deficit.
Board staff reported on Jan. 14 that Prince George's County Public Schools is tracking 39 education bills at the Maryland General Assembly and has received requests for local fiscal impact estimates on 29 of them.
Mrs. Welsh told committee members that fiscal impact worksheets have been circulated to district chiefs and that about half of the worksheets returned so far have produced responses. The district will post a tracking spreadsheet for committee members and said staff will recommend positions consistent with the district’s legislative platform, which emphasizes opposition to unfunded mandates.
A large portion of the meeting focused on the state “blueprint” education initiative and how local boards want flexibility in applying its requirements. Members said they want the ability to adapt implementation to local needs and sizes of school systems; at the same time they acknowledged accountability concerns attached to state funding. “Many school systems are very concerned because they feel strongly that there needs to be more flexibility within the requirements of a blueprint,” Mrs. Welsh said, noting concern about the governor’s larger announced deficit and the possible impacts on blueprint funding.
Committee members also discussed four separate bills dealing with student cell-phone use. Two versions would mandate district-level bans; one would allow local discretion. Welsh said the district would likely oppose bills that pre-empt local governance because the board’s legislative platform supports local policymaking on such issues. The Maryland Association of Boards of Education (MABE) discussion earlier in the week, members said, emphasized four shared priorities: governance authority for local boards, modification to pre-K expansion details, credentialing initiatives, and sustained local government investments in education.
The committee was also reminded of upcoming Prince George’s County delegation meetings to discuss local bills and told to monitor the delegation website for hearing schedules.
What’s next: Staff will continue to collect fiscal notes and circulate a tracking spreadsheet; the committee will review staff recommendations on individual bills as hearings are scheduled.
