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SMCPS outlines Blueprint for Maryland’s Future progress; district to present 90‑page update to AIB in Annapolis
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Summary
SMCPS staff reported progress on Blueprint implementation — pre‑K seating, teacher apprenticeship, national board support, expanded ESOL and special‑education staffing — and will present detailed progress materials to the state AIB in Annapolis.
St. Mary's County Public Schools staff presented a multi‑pillar progress update Wednesday on implementation of Maryland’s Blueprint for Maryland’s Future and said they will deliver an expanded report to the state Accountability and Implementation Board (AIB) in Annapolis.
Sarah Lorrick, SMCPS supervisor for reporting and communication, and Katie Quartercracks, chief academic officer, summarized key initiatives across the Blueprint pillars: early childhood access, teacher recruitment and retention, college-and-career readiness, student support services, and finance/reporting changes.
Highlights staff reported include: - Prekindergarten capacity: the district reported 520 pre‑K seats with 513 filled as of the update; priority placements were given to Tier 1 students (at or below 300% of the federal poverty level). - Teacher development: SMCPS said it is supporting national board certification with coaching and a stipend program; staff reported 49 nationally board‑certified teachers and about 41 candidates awaiting scores in December, plus roughly 100 candidates elsewhere in the National Board process. - Teacher apprenticeship and grow‑your‑own programs: SMCPS described a registered teacher‑apprenticeship program and regional collaboration (Southern Maryland Teacher Pipeline Summit) that aims to reduce financial and time barriers for aspiring teachers. - Multilingual and special‑education supports: the district added ESOL positions (14 full‑time ESOL roles reported) and expanded special‑education supports, including intervention/resource teachers and IEP chairs for secondary and small elementary schools. - Community schools and wraparound services: staff described vision and dental partnerships, SNAP‑Ed nutrition work, out‑of‑school time academic interventions, and family‑engagement programming. - Financial tagging and reporting: the district said it reworked its chart of accounts and payroll coding to allocate Blueprint and other funds at the school level and reported compliance with the Blueprint school‑funding reporting requirements in aggregate.
Tammy McCourt, who presented elements of the financial reporting work, said SMCPS helped shape the MSDE Blueprint financial reporting manual and has a dedicated Blueprint accountant to ensure correct coding of positions and expenses to funding sources. "We were on that team at the forefront because we wanted a seat at the table," she said.
Board members asked about teacher roles and accountability for National Board Certified Teachers and about supports for students not meeting college‑and‑career readiness benchmarks by 10th grade. Staff said multiple pathways, interventions and retest opportunities exist and that district CCR tracking and literacy/mathematics interventions are in place to support students who do not meet benchmarks on initial measures.
SMCPS will present the district’s expanded Blueprint responses and progress monitoring materials to the AIB in Annapolis the next day. Staff said the submission for the AIB had grown from an initial template to a larger packet of materials and that they would continue to post summary information publicly.
