Maryland’s 90-day legislative session starts on Wednesday, and one of the biggest agenda items this year will be the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future.

The state is facing a multi-billion-dollar deficit. And much of that is driven by education spending, which a growing number of state leaders say needs to be slowed down.

The Blueprint for Maryland’s Future passed in 2021. The law pumps $30 billion additional tax dollars into public education statewide over the first 10 years and $4 billion additional dollars every year after that. The increased funding comes from a mix of state and local dollars. The law, in part, increases teacher salaries, expands Pre-K, and bolsters career and technology training. But when the legislature passed the law, it was not attached to a funding mechanism.

Now, nearly four years after the bill passed, some lawmakers, including Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, are saying some changes may be needed as the state faces a projected $2.7 billion budget shortfall in 2025.

“Our fidelity is to our students not to our formulas,” Moore said in December at the Maryland Association of Counties Winter Conference. “This year I will call for a pause in implementation for collaborate time provisions in the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future.”

While Moore, last month, did announce plans to pause some elements of the law, he did not yet provide specifics. But for some, this move was inevitable.

Years ago, state Sen. Justin Ready, who represents Carroll and Frederick Counties, tried to warn lawmakers in Annapolis that education spending was sending Maryland toward a financial cliff. Project Baltimore last spoke with Ready in June 2024 when Moody’s credit agency downgraded Maryland’s financial outlook to “negative” from “stable” – largely because of education spending.

“I think it’s alarming if you don’t change course,” Ready explained at the time.

Ready and other Maryland Republicans have argued the Blueprint can be fully funded if it’s implemented over 14 years instead of the current 10 years, which would significantly reduce the strain on state and local budgets.

“You don’t have to raise taxes. And you also don’t need draconian massive cuts. You just need to slow down the rate of growth,” said Ready. “And we can address a lot of our outstanding budget issues.”

State and local education leaders are calling for a seat at the table to discuss the future of the Blueprint.

In the coming weeks and months, local school systems, such as Baltimore County Public Schools, will be finalizing their budgets for the upcoming fiscal year that begins on July 1. Concerning the Blueprint, and the pending budget deficit, BCPS Superintendent Dr. Myriam Rogers recently told Project Baltimore she hopes there will be flexibility from Annapolis concerning how Blueprint money is spent. Because school systems will be crafting their budgets as Annapolis may be making cuts to the budget. And that could be a recipe for problems.

“They want to know what our priorities and needs are before moving into formal session. We’re having those conversations. We’re going to meet with them. We’re going to tell them and, move forward together,” Rogers told Project Baltimore in November. “Last year, we did a lot of great work together, and I have no reason to expect anything but the same this upcoming year.”

The Blueprint for Maryland’s Future will likely capture most of the headlines, but it is not the only piece of legislation that will impact your children’s schooling. In the coming weeks Project Baltimore will keep an eye on Annapolis and inform you on the bills affecting education.