Southern Maryland superintendents warn proposed Excellence in Maryland Public Schools Act could divert funds from schools

Three Southern Maryland education leaders told the Southern Maryland Delegation on a February 2025 call that they support preserving local Blueprint funding for school systems and urged state lawmakers to consider superintendent-sourced changes to current legislation.

Dr. Maria Navarro, superintendent of Charles County Public Schools, told delegates the district is starting a new strategic-planning process and highlighted gains in middle-school acceleration, Advanced Placement participation and expanded pre-K. "We need resources at the schoolhouse," Navarro said, urging that Blueprint-directed funding remain at the school-district level rather than be redirected to state-level programs.

Dr. Smith, superintendent of St. Mary’s County Public Schools, said the governor’s Excellence in Maryland Public Schools Act (identified in the meeting as Senate Bill 429 and House Bill 504) contains provisions that the superintendents fear will reduce core local funding. "At its core ... it is a cut to foundational funding to school systems at the exact time when you should not be cutting foundational support to school systems," Dr. Smith said, citing superintendent analysis of cumulative impacts through 2033. He gave rough local estimates: about $185,000,000 for Charles County, $105,000,000 for St. Mary’s County and $85,000,000 for Calvert County, and said the three counties together face roughly a third of a billion dollars in reduced forecasted support under current projections.

Navarro and Dr. Smith also described a separate bill, Senate Bill 852, which contains language the 24 state superintendents jointly drafted as "curative" amendments after three years of implementing the Blueprint. "We made some recommendations ... that now have been filed as a bill. It's Senate Bill 852," Navarro said, and she urged delegates to review the superintendent group’s recommendations.

Jacqueline Jacobs, Calvert County chief academic officer (speaking for an absent superintendent), reiterated funding concerns and added that Calvert is working on pre-K expansion and staffing constraints related to grant-awarded partnerships with private providers. "We're really worried about the funding piece of everything and our ability to meet those requirements because the funding's not there," Jacobs said.

Delegates acknowledged the superintendents’ requests. Delegate Edith Patterson said legislators on Ways and Means are considering coordinated approaches to cellphone-policy bills while preserving local autonomy and said the delegation will review materials on Senate Bill 852 and the Excellence in Maryland Public Schools Act before deciding positions.

What was discussion vs. direction: superintendents requested review and advocacy; no formal vote or position was recorded by the delegation during the meeting. The superintendents pressed delegates for clarity on the proposed funding shifts and encouraged lawmakers to consult practitioners while the session continues.

Why it matters: the bills under discussion would affect how state education dollars are allocated to local districts, potentially affecting staffing, classroom supports and early-childhood programs across Southern Maryland.

Provenance: first related remarks began when Dr. Maria Navarro presented updates and concerns about the bills; the delegation later referenced Senate Bill 852 and Senate Bill 429/House Bill 504 during follow-up discussion.