ELLICOTT CITY, MD – Howard County Executive Calvin Ball, along with Howard County educational leaders and elected officials, today highlighted significant progress toward implementing the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future and released the Final Report from Howard County’s Blueprint Resources Planning Workgroup. Photos of the event can be seen here. The PowerPoint slides from the presentation can be viewed here.
Since the passage of the Blueprint, Howard County Public School’s total budget has grown from $862 million in FY 2020 to approximately $1.15 billion in FY 2025. In the two preceding years alone, we have been able to exceed Maintenance of Effort levels by more than $116 million. Through this important work, we continue to dismantle silos, improve collaboration among educational entities, and establish a coordinated strategy to successfully achieve the Blueprint goals. Thank you to Superintendent Barnes, Dr. Willis, Chair Mallo and our legislative leaders on the County Council and State Delegation for their continued collaboration and shared commitment to make certain that Howard County is a national leader in education.
The Blueprint for Maryland’s Future was passed by the Maryland General Assembly (MGA) in 2020. This legislation was the result of a 5-year commission, the Kirwan Commission, with the goal of increasing investments and transforming education in the state into a world-class education system.
The Blueprint focuses on five Pillars to elevate and enhance the quality of public education in Maryland.
Pillar 1 of the Blueprint outlines needed expansions to early childhood education in Maryland. Since the Blueprint was passed, the number of full day Pre-K seats in Howard County has grown by more than 200%, rising from 300 students in the 2021-2022 school year to 942 in the current school year. Additionally, Ball directed $23 million to renovate the Faulkner Ridge Center, which will create an additional 260 seats of full day pre-k as a regional early childhood education facility.
Pillar 2 of the Blueprint sets critical goals for teacher recruitment and retention. Since Ball took office in December 2018, starting teacher salaries have grown by more than 25% to meet the Blueprint requirement of $60,000. Howard County has also worked with HCPSS to fund National Board Certification incentive pay for all qualifying educators and implementation of the Career Ladder to ensure that Howard County remains an attractive school system for both aspiring and veteran educators.
Pillar 3 of the Blueprint promotes college and career readiness for students to prepare them for the workforce after they graduate. In Howard County, eligible students can earn up to 60 credits at HCC before graduating high school, and they can enroll in Advanced Placement tests for free, ensuring increased access to post-secondary success. Furthermore, the total number of AP test takers has increased by nearly 30% since 2020, reflecting more than 1,200 additional students who are taking AP tests for college credit.
Pillar 4 directs additional resources to ensure that all students are successful in our schools, especially student populations who need support the most. Since 2018, funding for special education and students with IEPs has nearly doubled, rising from $98 million annually to more than $180 million annually in the FY25 Operating Budget. This funding supported the creation of more than 90 new special educator positions during the last three fiscal years, as well as more investments into resources, technology, and supports that our school system needs to support our most vulnerable students.
Finally, Pillar 5 establishes clear oversight measures for the State Accountability & Implementation Board (AIB) and Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE), as well as reporting requirements for HCPSS. With those delegated responsibilities in mind, Howard County has primarily focused on operationalizing Pillars 1-4 of the Blueprint.
To inform future budgetary and policy decisions surrounding the continued implementation of the Blueprint, the Blueprint Resources Planning Workgroup released a Final Report with recommendations on how to advance the Blueprint with fidelity.
The Blueprint Resources Planning Workgroup was created in 2023 to work through funding and policy priorities with the Blueprint as guide. After a year of deliberations, the Workgroup released their final report today. The Workgroup was comprised of fifteen representatives from the Howard County Public Schools System (HCPSS), the Howard County Board of Education, Howard County Government, Howard Community College, Howard County Library System, the Howard County Council, the Howard County State Delegation, and the Childcare Community.
Here’s what County partners are saying:
I am tremendously grateful to County Executive Calvin Ball and our several school system partners to identify strategies to find and implement the critical components contained in the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future. To realize the success our students deserve, implementing a reform of this magnitude requires focus, stakeholder engagement, a commitment to collaborative problem solving, and a lot of creativity and hard work. There is a lot we have already collectively accomplished and much more we will do as we consider and fulfill the unique needs of each Howard County student and staff member.
"The Board of Education is committed to fulfilling the priorities of the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future because it is the right thing to do for students and educators,” said Board of Education Chair, Jennifer Swickard Mallo. “The more we commit to our students and educators now, the better the outcomes will be for them and our communities. I am grateful for the County Executive and our County and State funding partners for their continued commitment to our shared goals.”
"We all share a common goal of growing HCPSS as one of the nation's best school districts and doing so with a student-centered focus and fiscally responsible context,” said Daria Willis, President of Howard Community College. “Through collaboration with a variety of stakeholders, we believe that we have pathway to support students with greater resources and to attract and retain the teachers who will propel them to success.”
"I appreciated the opportunity to serve on the County Executive’s Blueprint Workgroup with Delegate Courtney Watson. The Workgroup has made significant progress in reviewing and implementing the Maryland General Assembly’s law that will advance historic funding for our public schools and ensure that our students will be the best prepared for the future,” said Clarence Lam, Senate Delegation Chair. “The Workgroup’s report provides a crucial roadmap as we look towards fully implementing the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future and ensuring the needed investments at the state and local levels are supported to make this happen."
"The House Delegation will provide the strongest support to implement the Blueprint with a sustainable and tangible goal in our minds to provide quality education to all students and excellent working environments for all teachers and staff members,” said Chao Wu, House Delegation Chair.
“We recognize that preparing our young people for the future involves more than just academic achievement,” said Stephanie Adibe, Administrator, Howard County Office of Workforce Development. “Workforce training and apprenticeships play a critical role in equipping our students with the hands-on experience they need to excel in their chosen fields. This will not only bridge the gap between education and employment, but also create a pipeline of skilled workers who are ready to contribute to our local economy.”
“As a union, we have advocated for and worked with the county and school system to stay ahead of neighboring counties. This year, our contract provides a starting salary of $60,000 for new teachers, two full years ahead of the Blueprint’s required timeline for minimum starting salaries,” said Ben Schmitt, President of the Howard County Education Association. “Key to our continued success is strong partnerships between our union, HCPSS, Board of Education, the County Executive and Council, and leaders in the General Assembly.”
“Ultimately, Howard County stands as a model for the state in the implementation of Blueprint Pillar One. We are innovative, and as a former early childhood educator, I’m proud and humbled to share on behalf of Community Action Council of Howard County that we could not fulfill our mission without the great partnerships that thrive here in our County,” said Tracy Broccolino, CAC President.