Maryland's Accountability and Implementation Board (AIB), the panel overseeing the Blueprint for Maryland's Future education reform law, has recommended limited legislative changes to the Blueprint each year since 2022. The adjustments have centered on aligning Blueprint policies, timelines, and funding. For the 2025 legislative session, the board's major recommendation involves modifying minimum school funding requirements, according to the AIB's 2024 annual report.
The board's work now unfolds against Maryland's worst budget outlook in two decades. The state's structural deficit is projected to grow from $502 million in fiscal 2025 to $3.4 billion by fiscal 2029 under the Administration's budget plan, according to the Department of Legislative Services. The department's own estimate puts the gap at nearly $3 billion in fiscal 2029.
The Blueprint Fund, which finances the reform's programs, is projected to run deficits starting in fiscal 2027. Expenditures that year are estimated at $3.24 billion against insufficient revenues, potentially requiring a general fund contribution of about $1.5 billion. By fiscal 2028, program costs are projected to exceed revenues by roughly $2.3 billion, according to the Department of Legislative Services.
Pre-K rules under discussion
Among the areas under discussion are pre-K provider certification requirements and eligibility rules. Under the Blueprint, multilingual learners and students with disabilities already receive free pre-K at income levels up to 600 percent of the federal poverty level, while non-multilingual or non-disabled students at the same incomes pay full cost or a sliding scale, according to the AIB's Blueprint overview.
The Blueprint requires pre-K lead teachers to hold a bachelor's degree and state certification in early childhood education, or be enrolled in an alternative certification program, by the 2027-2028 school year. Teaching assistants must hold at least a Child Development Associate certificate or an associate's degree by that date, per a 2023 joint committee report.
Maryland's 2024 legislative session already made early modifications to these rules under fiscal pressure. HB1441, signed into law in April 2024, established two classes of teacher certificates for pre-K: a first-class certificate requiring a bachelor's degree and a second-class certificate. The bill also moved the high staff qualification deadline from 2027-2028 to 2025-2026 for certain providers, according to the bill text.
Another 2024 law, HB1432, delayed Tier II state and local pre-K funding to fiscal 2028. The delay reduced state expenditures by an estimated $7.2 million in fiscal 2025, $12.3 million in fiscal 2026, and $16.0 million in fiscal 2027, according to the fiscal and policy note. The same bill also gave the AIB authority to withhold funding from local boards for inappropriate spending or unsatisfactory MCAP results.
Fiscal reality versus reform ambitions
Governor Wes Moore has indicated to the Spending Affordability Committee that the Blueprint cannot continue in its current form, while House Appropriations Committee Chairman Delegate Ben Barnes has expressed strong reluctance to roll back education reforms, as reported by Fox Baltimore. The committee was told that Maryland's fiscal 2026 budget deficit is projected at $2.9 billion, with current revenues covering only 83 percent of expenditures.
The fiscal pressure is expected to intensify. By fiscal 2028, the state will exhaust the money set aside to cover Blueprint costs, requiring general fund support, according to Maryland Matters. The structural deficit is projected to grow to nearly $4.7 billion in 2028, then $5.2 billion in 2029, and $5.9 billion in fiscal 2030.
Early precedents for change
The 2024 session's changes were not the first. HB1426 extended the Prekindergarten Expansion Grant consolidation by four years, to fiscal 2030, saving money in the near term, according to the fiscal note for that bill. These moves represent early-stage modifications to a reform plan enacted in 2021, as the state adjusts its ambitions to its fiscal capacity.
Implementation challenges beyond funding
The AIB's review of local implementation plans identified common areas for growth that extend beyond dollars, including increasing educator diversity, supporting school leaders in achieving National Board Certification, and improving the use of data to monitor progress, according to the AIB's 2024 annual report. The board also found that Maryland's nine approved ESOL teacher preparation programs and two alternative preparation programs will not meet the need for ESOL and bilingual teachers, recommending expanded grow-your-own programs and conditional certification pathways, per a joint AIB/MSDE report.
These capacity concerns are directly relevant to the discussions about easing certification requirements for pre-K providers serving multilingual learners. The state faces a choice between modifying the Blueprint's timelines and requirements or finding new revenue to meet them, all while the projected gap between Blueprint costs and revenues widens.