[Baltimore Sun] Baltimore City schools close to compliance with state education plan
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The Baltimore City school system is taking steps to avoid losing federal funding due to unmet requirements under the state’s Blueprint for Maryland’s Future education reform plan.
The Blueprint Accountability and Implementation Board voted Thursday to officially warn the Baltimore City and Montgomery County school systems that they have not complied with certain criteria that would warrant the board’s approval to release fiscal years 2025 and 2026 Blueprint funds. The goal of the Blueprint plan is to reform Maryland’s early childhood, elementary and secondary schools for all students.
Sandi Jacobs, Blueprint Implementation Coordinator for Baltimore City Schools, was aware that the system still has one outstanding piece of the implementation plan — the career ladder, which is designed to boost skills, leadership and compensation, that required negotiation with the Baltimore teachers union.
The Baltimore Teachers Union and the school system reached a stalemate ahead of a state deadline, and formal impasse papers were filed after several rounds of negotiations over specifics in the teacher career ladder.
“I’m here today to express directly to the members of the AIB that the delay is not the result of inattention, lack of commitment or urgency, or a failure to understand the timeline on our part,” Jacobs said at the Blueprint Accountability and Implementation Board meeting.
The city’s school system initiated discussion of a new career ladder framework with its bargaining unit in July of 2023. The schools negotiated for many months and reached an impasse in June 2024. Impasse procedures were then initiated at that point, and after additional months of mediation, city schools reached a tentative agreement with the Baltimore Teachers Union earlier this month.
“We purposely began these discussions a full year before the new career ladder was scheduled to go into effect and due for submission to the AIB because we understood the complexity and importance of the task,” Jacobs said.
Baltimore City schools had existing career pathways in place that would be sunset as it transitioned to the new Blueprint career ladder.
“We’ve been committed to applying the lessons learned from these previous pathways, while also making sure we meet all the Blueprint requirements and serve the best interest of our educators and our students,” Jacob said at the meeting. “We’re pleased to now have a tentative agreement for a new career ladder, which will provide a comprehensive career advancement system for educators that fosters continuous professional growth, recognizes and rewards exemplary teaching practices, provides opportunities for leadership and specialized roles and allows exceptional educators to stay in the classroom — ultimately enhancing the quality of education and student outcomes in City Schools.”
City schools will submit the plan to the Blueprint Accountability and Implementation Board as soon as possible after ratification by the bargaining unit and approval by the Baltimore City Board of school Commissioners, which is scheduled for Dec. 10.
The Blueprint for Maryland’s Future was passed by the Maryland General Assembly in 2021 to boost public education. The Blueprint increases state funding for education over the next 10 years, with the goal of accelerating student performance, and helping children, who have been historically underserved by the education system.
“We are pleased to now have a tentative agreement for a new career ladder, which will provide a comprehensive career advancement system for educators that fosters continuous professional growth, recognizes and rewards exemplary teaching practices, provides opportunities for leadership and specialized roles, and allows exceptional educators to stay in the classroom, ultimately enhancing the quality of education and student outcomes in City Schools,” a Baltimore City Schools spokesperson said.
Isiah “Ike” Leggett, Chair of the Blueprint Accountability and Implementation Board, said schools have been challenged adjusting to the criteria because it’s such a massive program with large areas to cover. As a result, the group has built in additional time and safeguards to help with the process. The board has also hired additional personnel to work with the schools to meet the requirements of the program.
“This is a massive change in how we approach public education in the state of Maryland,” Leggett told The Baltimore Sun on Friday. “That was to be anticipated in my opinion. It’s a challenge but it’s not insurmountable.”
Have a news tip? Contact Todd Karpovich at tkarpovich@baltsun.com or on X as @ToddKarpovich.
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