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February 6, 2026

Centreville Spy

Nonpartisan and Education-based News for Centreville

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Blueprint: Oversight Board Approves First Reform Plans for All MD School Systems

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The Blueprint for Maryland’s Future Accountability and Implementation Board approved all 24 school systems’ initial plans as part of the state’s goal to reform public education.

The documents approved Thursday are the first submission of Blueprint plans, summarizing the reform work that is complete, currently underway or that will be implemented through the 2023-24 school year.

All documents include details on the Blueprint’s focus on early childhood education, hiring and retaining high-quality and diverse teachers, preparing students for college and technical careers and providing additional resources for students in need.

Board Chair Isiah “Ike” Leggett thanked employees at the implementation board and the state Department of Education and members of the state Board of Education for Thursday’s vote, which he called a “significant achievement.”

“This is truly a milestone, but it’s only one major step in a long series of steps,” he said. “There’s an awful lot of work ahead. We put in an awful lot of long time and effort to get to this point.”

Before the seven-member board, also known as the AIB, voted during its online session, Leggett suggested that each school system plan be voted on separately.

The first 20 school system plans were approved unanimously.

Boardmember Jennifer Lynch recused herself from voting on Baltimore County’s Blueprint plan. She works as acting director of the county’s Department of Economic and Workforce Development.

Blueprint Boardmember Justin Robinson recused himself from voting on the Prince George’s County Public Schools plan because he works as a teacher in that school system.

The next three school systems — Calvert, Charles and Garrett — received conditional approval because officials in those jurisdictions must revise documentation on a Career Counseling Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).

Rachel Hise, executive director of the Blueprint board, said one example for the conditional approval is missing job descriptions.

The board voted unanimously to approve, conditionally, Blueprint plans from those three school districts.

Queen Anne’s County’s school district also received conditional approval, because school officials in that Eastern Shore county realized they couldn’t meet a requirement in the Blueprint law to provide a 10% salary increase for teachers in this fiscal year.

Instead, the school district provided $1,000 stipends for teachers in fiscal years 2022 and 2023 and again this current fiscal year.

Part of the stipulation for approval, according to a motion from the AIB: convert and incorporate the stipend into the base salary for all teachers so “the salary increase will be properly reflected in pension calculations and any other calculations that are dependent on salary.”

With all 24 school systems’ Blueprint plans approved from this first submission, the implementation board can release Blueprint funds for this current fiscal year.

A summary on the approved plans is on the AIB website.

Next steps

School officials must submit a second set of education reform planning documents, by March of next year, that detail strategies to accomplish the Blueprint priorities through the 2026-27 school years.

The third and final submission must be turned in to the state in 2027 to cover plans between the 2027-28 school year and 2031-32.

Hise noted some common strengths from all 24 local school system plans, including support for prekindergarten expansion and enrollment, creating new partnerships with state agencies and other organizations and developing career counseling programs for middle and high school students.

Some improvements school systems could make, she said, include developing career ladders for staff, developing and implementing math and literacy plans and assessing how to support students who aren’t college and career ready by the 10th grade.

Hise said staff with the AIB, state Department of Education and other state agencies will provide technical assistance before a second submission of Blueprint plans are due in March.

Later in the meeting, the AIB reviewed recommendations to update the statewide Blueprint comprehensive plan that focused on college and career readiness, additional resources for students and governance and accountability.

Some of their recommendations include having the state Department of Education develop resources for local school districts to disseminate information on updated college and career readiness standards; providing “research-based” programs to recruit and train English as a Second Language and bilingual teachers; and having department officials provide Blueprint recommendations on local school system plans by June of every year.

Several people provided online suggestions for the Blueprint board in areas such as arts education, which they noted is mentioned in the Code of Maryland Regulations, also known as COMAR.

“The arts are a critical part of a world-class education, including but not limited to supporting children’s academic development, social and emotional wellbeing, and sense of belonging,” wrote Julia Di Bussolo, executive director of Arts Every Day in Baltimore. “The AIB’s inclusion of the arts, and all required subjects in COMAR, is an important step in ensuring that all students in Maryland receive a truly world-class education.”

The implementation board will hold a special meeting Tuesday to discuss and approve updates to the statewide comprehensive plan, which was first approved in December.

By William J. Ford

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Biden taps O’Malley to lead Social Security Administration

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A former Maryland governor is on track to become the next head of the Social Security Administration.

President Joe Biden on Wednesday announced the appointment of Martin O’Malley as commissioner of the agency that is headquartered in Woodlawn. O’Malley’s appointment is subject to confirmation by the U.S. Senate.

“As mayor of Baltimore and governor of Maryland, he adopted data and performance-driven technologies to tackle complex challenges facing the communities he served – and I saw the results firsthand when we worked together during my time as vice president,” Biden said in a statement. “As governor, he made government work more effectively across his administration and enhanced the way millions of people accessed critical services.”

The agency O’Malley would lead faces “significant financing issues,” according to an annual report by the Social Security and Medicare Boards of Trustees.

That report noted that the current system has enough money to pay 100% benefits through 2033. In 2034, recipients would receive 77% of scheduled benefits.

If confirmed, O’Malley would succeed acting-Commissioner Kilolo Kijakazi, who was appointed to the position in July 2021. The agency has been without a permanent head since Biden fired the commissioner and deputy commissioner. Both were appointed by Republican former President Donald Trump.

O’Malley served as the 61st governor of Maryland from 2007- to 2015. Before that, he was elected twice as Baltimore mayor.

He also mounted an unsuccessful presidential bid in 2016.

Last week, O’Malley and his wife, retired Baltimore City District Court Judge Catherine Curran O’Malley, were the guests of honor at a reception in Annapolis where the couple’s official portraits were unveiled eight years after he left office.

By Bryan P. Sears

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Medical Debt Leads to Compounding Troubles for Low-income Marylanders, Particularly for Black Families

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In the United States, health concerns that land someone in the hospital or require multiple visits to the doctor can be a taxing experience on emotional, logistical and financial fronts.

But for about 17% of Marylanders facing medical debt, these struggles get compounded, leading to additional stressors that can further impact health outcomes, particularly for Black families and patients, according to economic policy organizations.

“[Medical debt] really does impact everyone on some level. It doesn’t impact folks equally,” according to Berneta Haynes, senior attorney for National Consumer Law Center. “It does have a disparate impact based on race and income.

Haynes participated in a webinar hosted by Economic Action Maryland this month, aiming to shine a light on how medical debt disproportionately impacts communities of color.

Economic Action Maryland conducted a poll in October 2020 surveying Marylanders, and found that 12% of survey participants had a medical debt they could not pay. In addition, 26% of participants stated that they would be unable to pay for an unexpected $500 medical bill out of pocket.

Marceline White, executive director of the organization, said that the average costs of a four-day hospital stay is about $14,200.

“It’s expensive to go to the hospital,” she said during the webinar.

White explained that when people have medical debt hanging over them, problems can compound and result in credit issues and even lead into other health concerns as patients delay medical care.

“We saw this particularly during the COVID pandemic. People did not go to hospitals to get treatment because they were afraid. They already had a medical bill they already medical debt,” she said.

Haynes, with the National Consumer Law Center, echoed White’s concern about people delaying hospital visits during an interview with Maryland Matters.

“People start making risky decisions related to their health,” Haynes said. “They start foregoing necessary health care visits that can then worsen whatever condition they may currently have — and snowball into more medical debt down the road.”

Which is a particular concern when it comes to the higher rate of Black families facing medical debt.

According to data from the Urban Institute, which tracks various forms of debt and how they impact Black communities, about 13% of communities of color in Maryland have medical debt, compared to 9% of white communities.

According to the most recent U.S. Census data from 2020, 48.7% percent of Marylanders are white and 29.5% are Black. About 21.9% of Marylanders are some other race or a mix of two races.

Another factor leading to medical debt can be whether a patient has insurance or not. Haynes explained that Black communities tend to have higher rates of various chronic illnesses but also may not have insurance, which can lead to medical debt

“Even in the states that have expanded Medicaid, like Maryland, we still see that Black folks are more likely to be uninsured, more likely to lack access to hospitals and health care providers nearby, so they have to go to providers that are out of network,” she said. “More likely to see higher maternal fatality rates. All kinds of cancers are highly concentrated in Black families. All of that makes Black people more likely to accrue medical debt than other groups.”

Both Haynes and White said Maryland’s efforts to reduce medical debt should be be a role model for other states.

The Medical Debt Protection Act, which took effect without being signed by former Gov. Larry Hogan (R) in 2021, issued a handful of protections for patients facing medical debt.

Under this law, hospitals are not permitted to request arrest warrants on patients if they are trying to collect medical debt.

“I don’t think it ever crosses people’s minds that a medical debt can lead to your arrest,” Haynes noted.

The 2021 law requires hospitals to check a patient’s eligibility for financial assistance before filing a lawsuit. In addition, hospitals are required to refund patients if they are deemed eligible for financial assistance within 240 days of billing.

“Maryland would be seen as one of the states that is doing the most,” White said. “But we still see, despite that effort, thousands and thousands of people falling through the cracks for a variety of reasons. And again, disproportionately affecting Black and Brown communities.”

Part of the issue to how patients get medical debt in the first place is the lack of knowledge that non-profit hospitals are required to provide financial assistance, also referred to as charity care, for low income people under the federal Affordable Care Act.

With charity care, hospitals may provide free or discounted services to eligible low-income patients who cannot afford services,

But hospitals may have different qualifications for who is considered “eligible” for financial assistance.

“That means from hospital to hospital, the threshold for when you qualify for financial assistance will differ. You may qualify for one hospital in the Baltimore area and not in another hospital in the Baltimore area,” according to Haynes.

For example, Lifebridge Health’s financial assistance policy says that it “provides hospice care at a discount to eligible patients of limited means whose household income is between 300% and 375% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines for the patient’s family size,” according to its website.

But Medstar’s financial assistance policy says that “partial financial assistance for medically necessary care provided to uninsured and underinsured patients with household income between 201% and 400% of the FPL.”

Haynes says that one of the most impactful way to address medical debt would be to set an income floor for all hospitals under the ACA. But she also urges lawmakers in Maryland and across the United States to consider policies that can specifically help with the inequity in medical debt that Black families and patients face.

“I think a little bit of both would be the right approach,” she said.

“But I think it’s also important for lawmakers to figure out how to prioritize relief for Black families…or at least be aware that the legislation that they are introducing may have a specific impact on Black families and Black folks,” she added.

By Danielle J. Brown

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Governor Wes Moore Unveils Two Major Environmental Initiatives on the Mid-Shore

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Say “task force” and most Marylanders’ eyes are sure to glaze over. And yet, these dull sounding instruments of government can often be major drivers of important policy.

On Thursday, Gov. Wes Moore (D) and several key members of his administration traveled to a steamy Eastern Shore to announce two policy initiatives that will be shaped, at least initially, by new task forces — one to strengthen protections to the Chesapeake Bay, the other to boost Maryland’s oyster industry. The administration officials visited a seafood packing plant and a farm for good measure.

The daylong visit began at the state’s pristine Wye Island Natural Resources Management Area in Queenstown. There, Moore, Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller (D) and Natural Resources Secretary Josh Kurtz planted an oak tree along the Wye River, and Moore later signed an executive order creating the Governor’s Council on the Chesapeake Bay and Coastal Bays Watershed.

The new task force is being assembled as Maryland and the six other Chesapeake Bay watershed jurisdictions — Delaware, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia — scramble to meet federal pollution reduction goals for the Bay and look ahead to a new regional strategy on Bay cleanup that is expected to be finalized next year.

Moore described the effort as a novel approach that places a greater emphasis on science and data, brings more stakeholders to the table and will pay as much attention to the environmental developments along shorelines and in shallower areas of the Bay and its tributaries as scientists currently do to the tributary’s deepest points.

“The Chesapeake Bay coalition is about more than just protecting a body of water,” he said. “It’s about how we come together to solve big problems.”

Moore said he hoped other Bay states would adopt Maryland’s model as they develop newer guidelines and protections. While Moore did not specifically say who would serve on the new council, he told reporters, “We see the build-out starting in very short order,” and said in addition to state officials, he wanted to ensure that the task force includes “people who are going to tell us their on-the-ground experiences.” He said he also expects the council to regularly provide “metrics” as it works its way toward developing state policy recommendations.

Later in the day, Moore and his entourage traveled to the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science Horn Point Laboratory in Cambridge, site of an oyster hatchery, where he signed a second executive order, creating the Oyster Shell and Substrate Task Force. The task force is an outgrowth of 2022 legislation, spearheaded by Sen. Sarah K. Elfreth (D-Anne Arundel) and Del. Brian M. Crosby (D-St. Mary’s), to bolster the state’s oyster population and aquaculture.

“The task force will be led by all sectors of the economy,” Moore said. “We’re going to build a table that’s big enough for every stakeholder to have a seat.”

As he did at Wye River, Moore described the health of Maryland’s oyster population as integral to the health of the Bay — and ultimately, to the health of the state economy. Oysters are bivalves that serve as natural filters for water pollution.

“Our oysters can go shell to shell with oysters from every other state,” Moore said. “But it goes beyond there. It’s about the workers [in the industry]. It’s the researchers. It’s the shuckers. Maryland won’t be outshucked by anybody.”

After signing the executive order, Moore and several members of his cabinet — Miller, Kurtz, Agriculture Secretary Kevin Atticks, Planning Secretary Rebecca Flora, Environment Secretary Serena McIlwain, and Secretary of State Susan C. Lee — tossed oyster larvae that had been cultivated at the hatchery into a large tank of water, where they are expected to find purchase in shells at the bottom of the tank. Ultimately, the larvae are expected to grow into full-grown oysters. Every week, Horn Point dumps about 45 of these tanks with growing oysters into the Bay or its tributaries.

Republican lawmakers from the Eastern Shore attended both events and expressed cautious optimism — sprinkled with some skepticism — that Moore’s new task forces would be as inclusive as the governor promised and that they would produce the results that their constituents desire. But they saw Moore’s desire to solicit a full range of opinions as a hopeful sign.

“I’m anxious to see what the details are,” said Del. Steven J. Arentz (R-Upper Shore), at the Wye River event. “I do think it’s a great idea.”

Moore noted that Thursday’s trip was the 14th time that high-ranking officials had been to the Shore since he took office six months ago. Arentz also took that as a positive sign.

“If the governor’s going to show up here a lot he’s going to start to understand the concerns of the people who live here,” he said.

At the Horn Point lab, Sen. Johnny Mautz (R-Middle Shore) called the governor’s remarks “right on point.” But he said his constituents would be looking for signs that the administration is looking to let the free market thrive for watermen.

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“My constituents are very leery of the government saying it’s here to help,” Mautz said. “We want accountability. We want oysters. We want a clean Bay. We don’t want political achievements.”

Moore’s visit to the Shore Thursday included stops at J.M. Clayton Seafood Company in Cambridge, where he picked crabs alongside dozens of workers, and at a regenerative crop farm outside Easton.

Earlier this week, Mautz wrote to Moore, warning that local crab processors were being threatened by cheaper, imported crab meat, and urged the governor to use his influence with the Biden administration to push for federal tariffs on the imports. He said lump crab meat from Venezuela was selling for $11 to $12 per pound, and local crab processors, which as recently as last year were selling their product at $45 to $48 a pound, had dropped their prices to $32 a pound in an effort to compete.

“This is a very real and direct threat to our local processors, who need our support in renewing demands for federal tariffs,” Mautz wrote. “Although this situation is not new, it has been exasperated [sic] by inflation, which is driving consumers to the lower cost imports. Meanwhile, our processors are being forced to lower prices at the same time their costs of production are increasing.”

By Josh Kurtz

Editor’s note: DNR Secretary Josh Kurtz is no relation to Josh Kurtz of Maryland Matters.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

How a Three-digit Phone Number has Changed Mental Health Services in MD

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A year ago, a new three-digit phone line launched nationwide, making it easier for people facing a mental health crisis and other issues to find resources and support.

Since then, national data show that more people are reaching out to what’s called the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. Yet call counselors and call center managers in Maryland want more people to be aware of the line and how it can help.

The 988 Lifeline — previously called the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline — had been ten-digits long. But in 2020, a new federal law required the phone number to be changed to 988 and that it be designated as the national suicide and mental health crisis hotline.

Chris Niles, senior hotline counselor with the Baltimore Crisis Response, said that the three-digit number is easier to remember, especially when people are in crisis and may not be in the clearest mindset.

“When your house is on fire, you’re in a car accident, someone steals your purse, it’s real easy to remember ‘I call 911,’” Niles said. “But when you’re experiencing extreme depression or suicidal thoughts, grieving the loss of a loved one, memorizing an 800-number when you’re in that type of emotional distress is probably not the easiest thing.”

“So, when they established 988, they made it so much easier for people reach out and get the help that they need,” he said.

The 988 line has been active nationwide for a year as of July 16, and 26 states have passed laws and appropriated funds to support the line, according the National Academy for State Health Policy.

That includes Maryland. In the 2022 session, Gov. Larry Hogan (R) approved Senate Bill 241/House Bill 293, which established a fund for the program. In 2023, Gov. Wes Moore (D) approved Senate Bill 3/ House Bill 271, which carved out $12 million for the 988 fund in the 2025 budget.

In addition, the 988 line has a new LGBTQ+ pilot program that focuses on connecting that population to resources and counseling specific to their struggles.

The original number, 1-800-273-8255, “will always remain available to people in emotional distress or suicidal crisis,” according to the 988 Lifeline website.

In the year since the 988 line’s launch, Niles with the Baltimore Crisis Response has noticed an increase in callers who are looking for support while facing housing instability, as COVID-era federal support comes to an end even when many are still struggling to make ends meet.

Just last week, he spoke with an elderly woman who was recently evicted.

“Her story is pretty commonplace here. When the eviction restriction moratorium from the White House was lifted … she was one of many in Baltimore City that wasn’t able to pay. And the landlord ended up evicting once they were allowed to,” he said.

“And now she’s living, alternating between the street and a hotel. And so she was calling and asking for information on different shelter programs, different programs to help her get into an apartment and also local resources for food and whatnot,” he added.

Niles noted that people will call the 988 lines when they are in less dire situations as well.

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, he noticed an increase in people calling to talk about their interpersonal relationships, with family members or with partners, as the pandemic led people to spend more time at home.

He also noted that some people will call if they have stress at work.

“They’ll ask ‘Is it okay that I’m calling? I’m not suicidal – I just had a really crap day at work and want someone to talk to.’ And we tell them ‘of course.’” Niles said.

Niles explained that the types of calls will determine what resources will be most helpful for the person in crisis. Many calls are just looking for information on resources that are available.

Others may need community intervention, he said, which is typically addressed by a mental health team sent out from a crisis center. Law enforcement is not usually involved unless it’s absolutely necessary.

According to national data from the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, answered calls to the 988 line increased by 45% in May 2023 compared to May 2022, before the 988 Lifeline launched. Online chats for the crisis line saw an increase of 52% from May 2022 to May 2023.

But the largest percentage increase in people reaching out to the crisis line came in the form of text messages. From May 2022 through May 2023, the percentage of texts answered increased by 938%, according to SAMHSA data.

Dan Rabbit, policy director at Behavioral Health System Baltimore, which oversees the 988 and crisis services for the Central Maryland region, has seen similar increases locally.

“That explosion in text messages — not many people texted it before, so [it’s] starting from a lower number, but still — that little increase is astounding,” he said. “And that way of contacting 988 is more popular with younger people. So, it’s a sign that young people are hearing about this and are using our services to get the support they need.”

Rabbitt said that the 988 line has made a lot of progress in the year since it launched and he is excited to see how it will continue to “transform how Marylanders receive care for their mental health challenges.”

“988 counselors are here to help anyone, regardless of the intensity or the acuity of whatever is concerning them,” he said. “So there’s no wrong reason to call.”

By Danielle J. Brown

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Moore Appoints a Nearly New Membership for Maryland Higher Education Commission

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Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) announced Monday the appointments of former college presidents, educators and nonprofit leaders to the state’s Higher Education Commission, nearly turning over the entire membership of the panel that oversees statewide higher education policies.

The governor appointed Catherine “Cassie” Motz, executive director of the CollegeBound Foundation in Baltimore, to serve as chair.

Six other new appointees to the board are: Charlene Mickens Dukes, former president of Prince George’s Community College; Chike Aguh, a senior fellow at Northeastern University’s Burnes Center for Social Change and former chief innovation officer at the U.S. Department of Labor; Sheila Thompson, former national research coordinator with the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study; Mickey L. Burnim, former president of Bowie State University; Janet Wormack, former vice president for administration and finance at Salisbury University; and Tanya Johnson, a student commissioner who attends Morgan State University.

An eighth person, Rebecca Taber Staeheline, was appointed by Moore and confirmed by the Senate earlier this year.

According to the governor’s office, Taber Staeheline will serve the remainder of a five-year term through June 30, 2026, after Karen Solomon resigned. Dukes will serve the remaining term that began July 1, 2022, for former commissioner James Coleman.

A commission spokesperson said in an email Monday that former board member James Sellinger resigned on July 6. A governor’s spokesperson said the governor will appoint a person to fill Sellinger’s seat “as soon as possible.” The term for that seat runs through June 30, 2025.

All commissioners on the 12-member body serve a five-year term and the student member one year.

“The Maryland Higher Education Commission is poised to help make the necessary innovative changes to be a solid building block in my promise to build pathways to work, wages and wealth,” Moore said in a statement. “The extensive knowledge and unwavering commitment that our new commissioners possess will drive the transformation of higher education in Maryland.”

Meanwhile, the commission is under scrutiny after it approved a new business analytics doctoral program at Towson University, which the Morgan State University president said is duplicative of a program at his historically Black university.

The new program was approved at a June 14 special meeting of the commission.

Previous commission Chair Mary Pat Seurkamp, whose term expired July 1, wrote in a letter three days prior to Towson’s Interim President Melanie Perreault that the commissioners who voted in favor of Towson “found that while some elements of the programs were similar, ultimately the two programs have distinct differences in their curricula.”

Morgan State President David K. Wilson wrote a letter two days later, on June 30, asking state lawmakers intervene and assess the commission’s review process “until an agreed upon process to mitigate undue academic program duplication in Maryland is put in place.”

In addition, Wilson wrote that the Towson program goes against the spirit of a $577 million settlement signed into law two years ago, after HBCU supporters sued the state, arguing that it directed more resources to Maryland’s predominantly white institutions and allowed duplication of academic programs already established at the state’s four historically Black colleges and universities — Morgan State, Bowie State, Coppin State University and the University of Maryland Eastern Shore.

Del. Vanessa Atterbeary (D-Howard), who serves on the House Ways and Means Committee, said earlier this month that meetings are scheduled with Wilson and the commission.

As of Monday afternoon, no meeting minutes that include the vote tally from the June 14 special session are posted on the commission’s website.

Due to the cancellation of a July 26 meeting, the commission’s spokesperson said the board’s next meeting is Aug. 9.

By William J. Ford

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Trouble in Annapolis: Budget Deficits Loom in Wake of 2023 Session

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The most recent 90-day legislative session swung Maryland’s fiscal picture from hundreds of millions in surplus to increasing projected deficits over the coming four years, according to the Department of Legislative Services.

Deficits projected in the report for 2028 exceed $1 billion and approach levels not seen since The Great Recession. The new projections pose a test to the ability of Gov. Wes Moore (D) to deliver on a number of priorities and promises.

Lawmakers said they were not surprised by the numbers but acknowledged challenges lie ahead.

“We’ve made some real commitments, and they are robust,” said House Appropriations Chair Ben Barnes (D-Anne Arundel and Prince George’s), noting new investments in education reform and transit. “…We need to fulfill these commitments and to do that we certainly are going to need to take a hard look at more revenues.”

In January, Moore and lawmakers came to Annapolis with a historic $5.5 billion budget reserve. Much of that was the result of discontinued federal pandemic spending.

When Moore introduced his budget in January, legislative analysts projected hundreds of millions in structural surpluses — $232 million and $263 million in fiscal years 2025 and 2026 respectively.

Following the 2023 session, analysts now say those surpluses have evaporated, according to a new report.

It is now projected that the fiscal 2025 budget will start with a $418 million deficit. That represents a $650 million decrease compared to the January estimate. In the next year, the deficit rises to $572 million. This marks a significant difference of $835 million compared to the January projection.

The budget outlook for fiscal 2028, at the start of a new term, “deteriorates substantially,” according to the report. Analysts attribute the sharp decline to the costs of major education reforms.

The projected shortfall that year is more than $1.8 billion “due to the ongoing K-12 education enhancements outpacing the availability of special funds in the Blueprint fund.”

During that time, revenues grow by more than 3%. Projected expenditures outstrip those, growing by 5%.

Analysts highlighted four bills passed this year that have a significant impact on reducing revenues.

Included in that is a bill backed by Moore that enhances existing tax credits for some military retirees. The bill signed by Moore reduces revenue by $11-$13 million per year over five years.

Moore also backed a permanent extension of the state’s Earned Income Tax Credit at a cost of about $897 million over five years.

Another bill, the Family and Medical Leave Insurance Program will cost $22 million in 2025 and $36-$39 million in fiscal 2026-2028, according to analysts.

Undoing the earned income tax credit and the tax cut for retired veterans could be unpalatable, if not politically difficult.

The costs of the landmark Blueprint for Education funding plan have a significant impact in later years.

“If we’re going to keep our commitment to the children in this state, we’re going to have to be creative and look at all options,” said Barnes.

A dedicated fund to pay for the Blueprint plan will have nearly $2.9 billion in it by the end of the current fiscal year. That fund plus annual revenues of about $1.4 billion earmarked for the plan to cover the costs from fiscal 2025-2027.

But analysts warn that the fund will be “exhausted” at the end of fiscal 2027. That results “in substantial K-12 costs shifting to the general fund in fiscal 2028,” according to the report.

Future projections such as those contained in a recent Department of Legislative Services report take into account projected spending and revenues.

“I think the question is about a degree of worry,” said House Minority Leader Del. Jason C. Buckel (R-Allegany), a member of the House Ways and Means Committee and the Joint Committee on Spending Affordability. “You can’t sit there and say that these things are mathematical certitudes or that we know, for example, that in FY 2026 we’re going to spend down much of the Rainy Day Fund and still have these huge deficits. We don’t know that because it’s very difficult for everyone to predict tax revenues.”

Buckel said lawmakers should consider paring back the cost of the Blueprint education plan.

“The problem is that we’re just spending so much on it,” he said. “I think that we’re going to have to be realistic with each other and realistic with our constituents. We can’t afford [the Blueprint plan]. We can’t afford the pie-in-the-sky estimates of going and increasing everybody’s salary that works at every school from Oakland to Ocean City.”

Other factors could change the outlook before January.

The Board of Revenue Estimates updates revenue projections in September.

Economists are also watching for signs of an impending recession. A July report by The Conference Board, a nonprofit think tank, projects a U.S. recession in the coming months.

The new projections present a challenge for Moore. The charismatic but untested politician made big promises and expounded the success of his early efforts.

Those successes could impinge on the balance of his first term.

A spokesperson for the governor declined to comment for this story.

Moore desires to make Maryland a model for eliminating childhood poverty.

The governor also wants to wipe out 10,000 state employee vacancies. Before entering office in January, he vowed to hire 5,000 in his first year in office.

He also promised to resurrect the east-west Red Line transportation project in Baltimore. Former Gov. Larry Hogan (R) called the multi-billion project a boondoggle and killed it in 2015.

“Ending childhood poverty is a wonderful goal. How much money it costs? I don’t know,” said Buckel. “Some of it is certainly money. Some of it is probably more programmatic and maybe redirecting sums that are already out there to objectives that might meet the goal better, rather than new. Maybe there’s some wasteful spending or some spending that doesn’t really advance that objective. It’s a great goal to build the Red Line. Absent a massive infusion of federal funds, that I don’t think is highly likely.”

The state’s Transportation Trust Fund is already overburdened. Analysts, in their report, note a 10-year shortfall of nearly $4 billion in the fund.

In recent years, the operating budget has absorbed the costs of some projects, including the Purple Line.

Moore last month announced he was moving forward with the Red Line transit project. It is unclear what form the east-west Baltimore project will take or its cost. Some of it would likely come from the Transportation Trust Fund.

The governor has also called for decoupling the gas tax from an automatic inflationary increase. The gas tax increased to 47 cents on July 1. The tax has increased 30% over the last two years driven by record inflation and surging fuel prices.

Money raised by the surcharge helps fund the state Transportation Trust Fund.

Moore, speaking to Maryland Matters earlier this month, said the current gas tax increases are “not sustainable, and it’s harming too many working class families and that we cannot have a Transportation Trust Fund that is that is going to exclusively be funded on tax increases and fees that have a disproportionate impact on working class families. It’s not fair.”

But the governor said it would be up to the legislature to lead on the issue.

The General Assembly passed legislation to begin looking at alternatives for funding the trust fund. The commission has yet to be appointed. An interim report is expected before the 2024 session.

Buckel said he hopes lawmakers will look to curb spending and improve the economy in smaller and rural counties. But he braces for the possibility that Democrats will seek tax increases.

“I think that until I hear from their lips, we’re not going to consider tax increases to pay for these things. I think it’s still a valid concern,” he said.

By Bryan P. Sears

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Recalling Maryland’s July 4th In 1998 and Comparing to 2023 by Josh Kurtz

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Maryland was about to settle into a nice, quiet Fourth of July weekend. And while among the chattering classes there was some anticipation for the candidate filing deadline to come on July 6, Maryland political leaders were settling in for a quiet weekend as well.

This was in 1998. What followed was anything but quiet or orderly. And it’s easy to see that the chaotic events of that oft-forgotten weekend and the days that followed are still reverberating in Maryland politics today.

The night of Friday, July 3, brought shocking news: Louis Goldstein (D), Maryland’s comptroller since 1959, and revered in state politics, dropped dead by his Calvert County swimming pool at the age of 85.

Though he was certain to waltz to an easy 11th term — only a Republican named Larry Epstein, who had been the GOP nominee in 1990, had filed to run against him — Goldstein’s death 72 hours before the filing deadline meant several prominent Maryland politicians had big decisions to make quickly.

No one had a bigger decision than Gov. Parris Glendening (D), who was facing a tough rematch against Republican Ellen Sauerbrey but first had to get through a gnarly September Democratic primary against then-Harford County Executive Eileen Rehrmann and retired football star Ray Schoenke. So Glendening had to weigh not only who to appoint to serve for the remainder of Goldstein’s term as comptroller, but who would make a companionable ticket mate that November.

Politicians’ phone lines burned up all weekend, and Glendening and his lieutenants checked in with a range of Democratic leaders. Glendening made overtures to then-U.S. Rep. Ben Cardin and then-state Senate Budget and Taxation Committee Chair Barbara Hoffman about taking the job, but both demurred.

Eventually, Glendening settled on then-Montgomery County Executive Doug Duncan, a rising star in state politics who was seeking a second term basically unchallenged, for the comptroller’s job. Duncan and Glendening spoke three times on Sunday, July 5, and Duncan said he’d have to sleep on it and would get back to Glendening Monday morning, with the filing deadline at 9 p.m. that night.

Meanwhile, former Gov. William Donald Schaefer (D), who disliked Glendening and hated being out of the political limelight even more, let his successor know that he might be interested in the appointment and in running for a term as comptroller himself. But when Glendening told Schaefer that Duncan was his choice, Schaefer, 76, endorsed the idea and asked Glendening to get in touch again if Duncan declined the offer.

By many accounts, Glendening never did.

Duncan chose to run for reelection and eventually, Glendening turned to former U.S. Rep. Michael Barnes, who had represented Montgomery County in Congress from 1975 to 1987, to become comptroller. While some powerful Baltimore politicians groused that Glendening was dissing the city — Baltimore pols used to have the influence to speak freely like that back in those days — no less an eminence than U.S. Sen. Barbara Mikulski, who had defeated Barnes in the Democratic Senate primary a dozen years earlier, said she was “delighted” with the pick, and spoke of her former rival’s integrity.

Barnes dutifully filed at the board of elections (then known as SABEL, the State Administrative Board of Election Laws) that Monday to compete in the September Democratic primary. So did Baltimore City Comptroller Joan Pratt. So did former state Sen. Julian Lapides. And so did once and future Baltimore City Councilmember Mary Pat Clarke.

Three other credible candidates joined Epstein in the GOP primary: Tim Mayberry, an accountant from Western Maryland who had been the Republican nominee against Goldstein in 1994; Ardath Cade, a veteran government official and civic activist from Anne Arundel County who was the widow of the late Senate minority leader, John Cade; and Michael Steele, then a rising star in Republican politics who was chair of the Prince George’s County GOP. Sauerbrey quickly endorsed Steele.

But all day, as Goldstein’s body lay in state in the State House, and the glamorous Schoenke was exiting the gubernatorial primary, there were rumors about what Schaefer was going to do, and he clearly was enjoying the attention. Eventually, around 7:30 that evening, Schaefer and his entourage turned up at the old SABEL offices in a converted armory on Rowe Boulevard, and with the attendant media circus that Schaefer always loved, he declared that he would be a candidate for comptroller.

But he left himself an out: The deadline for declared candidates to pull out of a race was still 10 days away, and Schaefer said he would continue to mull over whether he really wanted a political comeback. But of course, he did.

“I’m very energized,” he said on July 7. “Life was OK, but this has got me pepped up.”

And when it became apparent that Schaefer really was going to run for a full term as comptroller, Barnes, who had been sworn into the job and served for about a minute and a half, resigned his post and withdrew from the race. Clarke and Lapides also dropped out.

Glendening was forced to publicly insist that he was happy with the result, and maybe he was. A lot of Schaefer Democrats had gravitated to Sauerbrey in 1994, when Glendening beat her by fewer than 6,000 votes, so Glendening may have concluded that having his predecessor’s fans nominally on his side for the 1998 general election would be a political windfall.

In the interim, he appointed Bobby Swann, Goldstein’s loyal longtime deputy, to serve as comptroller for the remaining half year of Goldstein’s term.

But if the scene at SABEL was surreal on July 6, even more surreal was Schaefer’s early morning campaign kickoff on July 13, at the dreary old Best Western near the Interstate 95 toll booths in Baltimore, which Glendening and his lieutenant governor, Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, attended. The room was packed full of Schaefer intimates – many of whom sought a restoration. They considered Glendening, the wonky University of Maryland professor from Prince George’s County who was clearly not one of them, an illegitimate leader.

“It’s like old-times week,” a beaming John Paterakis Sr., the Baltimore bakery baron, told The Washington Post.

It was hard, at that moment, to tell who was actually governor.

And the rest is history. Glendening and Schaefer more or less tolerated each other through the fall, campaigning cordially together at the Crisfield crab feast, but it went south from there. Board of Public Works meetings became must-attend events — mainly to witness the vitriol Schaefer threw at Glendening again and again, including essentially outing the governor’s extramarital affair with a top aide in 2001.

Schaefer Democrats morphed into Ehrlich Democrats, contributing to Townsend’s defeat in the 2002 gubernatorial election (as did Glendening’s low poll ratings that year). Many later became Hogan Democrats.

Schaefer served until 2006, when he was defeated in the Democratic primary by state Del. Peter Franchot, who complained that the comptroller had grown too cozy with the Republican governor (a charge later thrown at Franchot). Steele lost the Republican primary for comptroller to Epstein in 1998, but became state Republican chair two years later and lieutenant governor two years after that. His career trajectory has taken some surprising turns since.

Barnes has continued to serve the public admirably in a variety of capacities, including as co-chair of the board of the Office of Congressional Ethics. But he never sought political office again.

The world keeps spinning on its axis — albeit a little off-kilter, thanks to climate change. But that significant July 4 weekend and the days that followed were really wild, the fall-out long lasting.

And yet…compare that July 4 weekend with the calamitous events of the July 4 weekend this year in Maryland. Two people dead, 28 wounded, in a mass shooting in Baltimore that’s still nowhere near to being solved. Another mass shooting that same night in Salisbury, with one dead and six wounded.

Sure, there are political implications — particularly for Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott (D), but also for Baltimore City State’s Attorney Ivan Bates (D) and for Gov. Wes Moore (D).

But two communities have been left devastated, an incalculable tragedy that will scar hundreds of people for life. Which serves as a sober reminder: Political intrigue may come and go, but the violent society we’ve constructed for ourselves leaves behind an endless stream of victims, especially in communities too used to being forgotten.

So while it’s fun to recall the events of July 4 weekend in 1998, it’s the July 4 weekend of 2023 that, sadly, will be in the history books.

Josh Kurtz is the founding editor of Maryland Matters. 

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Rep. Jamie Raskin Chooses Not to Run for U.S. Senate

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The speculation is over.

Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-8th) announced Friday evening that he will not run for the U.S. Senate to replace longtime Sen. Ben Cardin (D) and plans to seek reelection to the House of Representatives next year.

Raskin said in a more than 1,000-word statement that he wants to continue preserving democracy against threats from former President Trump and his allies. Raskin helped lead the special Jan. 6, 2021 House committee investigations after the attack on the U.S. Capitol.

“The times have found us, as Tom Paine said, and there is no escaping the responsibility we have in office now not just to the specific people and communities we represent but to the entire country,” Raskin wrote.

“At this moment, I believe the best way for me to make the greatest difference in American politics in 2024 and beyond is this: to run for reelection to the House of Representatives in Maryland’s extraordinary 8th District,” he said. “And to mobilize thousands of Democracy Summer Fellows and raise millions of dollars and everyone’s spirit to fortify and build up Democratic majorities in the House and Senate.”

Raskin said that under normal circumstances, he’d be more inclined to risk his leadership post in the House and try for the Senate seat that Cardin is giving up after three terms. But he said the prospect of helping Democrats regain the House majority in 2024 — and the likelihood that he’d become chair of the House Oversight Committee under those circumstances — compelled him to stay put.

“If I had two political careers, I would gladly give one of them to the year-and-a-half campaign for the Senate, a prospect that remains alluring to me because of my profound love for our state and the incredible people who live here,” he said. “I would even be open to restarting my political career as Senator #99 or 100 at the bottom of a new institution.

“But I have a different and more urgent calling right now and I cannot walk away from the center of this fight in the people’s House and in the country. We are still in the fight of our lives, the fight for democracy and freedom and for the survival of humanity.”

Todd Eberly, a political science professor at St. Mary’s College of Maryland, said he didn’t believe Raskin would enter the Senate race, in part because he just completed an intensive six-month treatment for cancer.

“Just from the human factor, he’s just getting through pretty serious cancer treatment. Then to jump right into high stakes [Senate] campaign needing to raise a lot of money,” Eberly said in an interview. “But I think the bigger issue is he has earned a position of respect in the House. He is in line for an important committee chairmanship should Democrats take the House back after the next election. He’d have to give all that up just to run for the chance of being the nominee of the Democratic Party.”

Raskin’s decision leaves Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks and U.S. Rep. David Trone as the top-tier contenders in the Democratic Senate primary for now, though Montgomery County Councilmember Will Jawando and others are also seeking the nomination.

Alsobrooks recently announced that she had raised $1.73 million for the contest so far, while the wealthy Trone is spending liberally from his own pocket on ads and political mailers. Campaign finance reports for the second quarter of the year are due to be filed with the Federal Election Commission on July 15, and should provide a somewhat clearer picture of the financial state of the primary race — though Trone’s unlimited ability to self-fund skews the fundraising playing field to an extent.

Raskin, a progressive former constitutional law professor who spent a decade in the Maryland Senate before his election to the House in 2016, has become a national Democratic icon since he led Trump’s second impeachment following the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. He’s become a celebrity among party activists and a fundraising magnet, and would have been a formidable contender had he entered the Senate primary.

Now, the early primary dynamic suggests the contest will come down to Alsobrooks, who is racking up endorsements from a broad swath of political insiders while pressing her case to make history as Maryland’s first Black senator and only the third Black woman in U.S. history to serve in the chamber, and Trone, a wildly successful businessman who has made fighting the opioid crisis his top issue in Congress.

Alsobrooks’ endorsements from current and former elected officials suggest Democratic leaders are looking ahead, Eberly said.

“That just speaks to what the party sees as the future of their party, as opposed to the past of their party,” he said. “They look to Alsobrooks and think this is someone who has tremendous future potential even beyond just running for Senate. They’re making clear their investment.”

To have a chance of competing in the primary, Jawando, a charismatic and ambitious lawmaker, will have to make inroads with progressives around the state who might have naturally gravitated to Raskin, chip away at Alsobrooks’ perceived strength among Black voters, retain a strong segment of Montgomery County Democrats who have already supported him twice in countywide County Council elections, and show strong fundraising numbers.

Candidates offer praise and express confidence

All three candidates put out statements Friday night praising Raskin and offering their assessments of the primary contest.

Alsobrooks posted a message on her Twitter page Friday calling Raskin a “champion for Maryland and for democracy.”

“If elected to the Senate, I will be a partner with him to fight for all of our families, to ensure every corner of Maryland gets the resources it deserves, and to engage in the hard work of safeguarding our democracy,” she said.

Trone, who lost the 8th District Democratic primary to Raskin in 2016 before winning in the 6th, which takes in part of Montgomery County and most of Western Maryland, said he respected his colleague’s decision to stay out of the Senate contest.

“While there are multiple good candidates running, I am the only progressive in this race who has gotten bills over the finish line in Congress — delivering results on mental health, addiction treatment, medical research, criminal justice reform — and many other issues that impact people’s lives,” he said. “Saying what you want to do is the easy part of the job — actually getting things done requires hard work, and no one has or will outwork me or our campaign.”

And Jawando clearly seems some space for himself on the left wing of his party.

“I’ve known Jamie Raskin for over 15 years,” Jawando said. “He is a progressive champion, and the kind of person who displays the same courage and grace no matter what, whether he’s taking on Donald Trump or cancer. We are grateful for his service and all the service that is yet to come. “Now more than ever, it is clear that we need a progressive champion in the Senate. That’s exactly what I intend to be when I’m elected.”

Democrats are heavily favored to hold Cardin’s seat in November 2024. The only Republican running so far with any name recognition at all is Robin Ficker, the noisy Montgomery County anti-tax activist who has unsuccessfully sought office dozens of times since serving a single term in the House of Delegates from 1979 to 1983.

Raskin is expected to waltz to a fifth House term in 2024, but his decision to stay put is undoubtedly deflating the hearts of at least a dozen ambitious Montgomery County politicians, who imagined themselves replacing him in Congress.

While a fascinating race is emerging in both parties to replace Trone in the 6th District, and several Democrats are already not-so-subtly jockeying to replace Alsobrooks as Prince George’s executive — whether she’s elected to the Senate in 2024 or leaves office when her term ends in 2026 — the Maryland political scene will be a little tamer this election cycle with Raskin staying out of the Senate contest and no open-seat race to replace him.

By William J. Ford and Josh Kurtz

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Breaking Down The Blueprint: The Challenges School Districts Face in Meeting Students’ Behavioral Health Needs

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Lori Morrow says for the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future education reform plan to work effectively, schools must ensure students receive the mental health services they need.

Morrow, the mother of two children and education advocate from Prince George’s County, said school-based health centers should be created and staffed with mental health professionals accessible for students and their families, especially in rural and underserved communities.

“We want kids to be in school. It’s a lot easier to be in school when you’re healthy,” said Morrow, who served her last day Friday as a member of the state Board of Education. “COVID has taken a toll on everybody. We need to have the right mental health…support so that our teachers can focus on education and teaching curriculum.”

As part of the Blueprint process, education officials in all of Maryland’s 24 school systems must outline how they will fulfill the plan’s fourth “pillar,” or priority: how they will provide resources for all students to be successful.

Some of the Blueprint requirements include additional per pupil funding for special education students and English language learners, awarding personnel grants for schools with at least 55% of students on free and reduced lunch, and requiring school systems to provide annual training for staff to recognize mental health and behavioral issues in students.

The legislature approved House Bill 770 this, year which includes allowing a school counselor to join the state’s Consortium on Coordinated Community Supports, a group established as part of the Blueprint law with one of its main goals to expand access to behavioral and wraparound services for students and their families.

Mental and behavioral health have been major topics not only in Maryland but nationwide.

U.S Surgeon General Vivek Murthy issued an advisory last month about how social media “can also have a profound risk of harm to the mental health and well-being of children and adolescents.”

Liz Zogby, co-lead with the Maryland Down Syndrome Advocacy Coalition, wants to make sure children with intellectual and developmental disabilities aren’t forgotten in the Blueprint plan.

“There’s a lot of attention and detail that’s been focused on racial diversity and socioeconomic diversity, and absolutely rightly so. We have to make sure that that focus on equity also includes kids with disabilities,” she said. “They’re a critical piece for our schools.”

In the meantime, the Blueprint’s Accountability and Implementation Board could start approving local school system’s plans to provide mental health services beginning on July 20.

Each document, first submitted in March, must include work school officials conducted, completed and will continue to implement through the 2023-24 school year. Besides resources for students, the other main priorities include providing early childhood education, hiring and retaining high-quality and diverse teachers and preparing students for college and technical careers.

In their initial reports, local officials responded to several questions and statements about student resources with a focus on health.

To provide insight into how school districts are planning to support student behavioral health, we have gathered responses to one of the section’s questions: “Discuss the challenges that exist in meeting students’ behavioral health needs and how the [local education agency] overcomes these challenges. Include strategies related to funding, specialized staff, community partnerships, etc.”

Below are all or part of the responses from the school districts.

Allegany – “ACPS has recognized the major challenge of providing immediate direct services to students who need mental health counseling. In our rural district, community providers are limited and overwhelmed with few providers offering pediatric services. To help overcome this, over the last three years, ACPS has strategically increased our in-house capacity to deliver services while strengthening our community partnerships.

Increased school-based staffing:

  • Additional staffing in 2022-2023 through a combination of Concentration of Poverty,

CARES, and local funding: A licensed was addictions counselor added to the RESTART/alternative

Program; reduced ratio of mental health specialists one for every two schools; additional elementary behavior specialist.

  • Multiple mental health Board approved supervisors able to increase oversight and clinical skill development.
  • Two behavior specialists are working towards becoming Board Certified Behavior Analysts.
  • Deeper collaboration/partnership with Health Department counselors post-COVID.
  • Partnering with the Maryland School Mental Health Response Program for training, program enhancement, needs assessment, and professional development.”

Programs Purchased:

  • Second Step: SEL K-8 including bullying prevention facilitated by school counselors.
  • Ripple Effects: facilitated through the RESTART program and behavior specialists for Tier II/III students.”

Anne Arundel – “The stigma around mental health remains a challenge in Anne Arundel County. Many families feel ashamed to admit their child may need behavioral health support. This can lead to students being afraid to talk about their mental health struggles at home and leading them into further despair. For that reason, AACPS has collaborated with community partners on initiatives designed to overcome the stigma around mental health. These programs include:

  • The Sound of Silence is a school assembly and community program by the Northern Lights Against Substance Use. The program discusses mental health and substance abuse and how they are tied together. There are members of child and family serving agencies throughout Anne Arundel County on the panel answering questions for students and families.
  • AACPS also has a club called Student Alliance for Flourishing, a partnership between AACPS and Notre Dame University of Maryland. This club thrives at five high schools and three middle schools and focuses on teaching students to flourish mentally and physically. It reduces stigma by teaching students how to succeed in school, community and globally.”

Baltimore City – “City Schools has continued to strengthen its behavioral health supports for students, including the allocation of at least one social worker in each traditional school and the development of coordinated Student Wellness Support Teams (SWST) at the school level. The greatest challenge City Schools currently faces in meeting students’ behavioral health needs is the shortage of providers – social workers, school psychologists, school nurses, school counselors, and other related services providers. City Schools is currently addressing this challenge through external partnerships with local and state organizations, and we are intentionally creating internal partnerships through our Student Wellness support Teams to maximize the collaboration and impact of the related services staff in each school. Related services staff, specifically social workers and school psychologists, are integral members of the SWST which works to proactively meet schools’ overall climate and culture needs. The formation of the SWST has increased the collaboration among its members; specifically, those staff who support behavioral health. As a part of SWST, social workers lead the completion of the school wellness needs assessments in the beginning of the year. This data assists in providing support that is targeted and reflective of the individual schools’ needs.”

Baltimore County – “Supporting Students’ Behavioral Health by identifying challenges and appropriate strategies to address challenges has continued to be prioritized in BCPS. The growth of access to resources, including school counselors, psychologists and social workers has continued to expand with increased staffing as well as increased community partnerships with community mental health providers, mental health organizations and the local department of behavioral health. The focus on student behavioral health has forged community collaboration resulting in the Mental Health Advisory Council.

The BCPS Mental Health Advisory Council (MHAC) that is representative of all stakeholders, identified various challenges with specificity around awareness and access to the tiered system of supports that includes access points to mental health supports for students across schools, the measurement of success of the interventions in each tier, understanding the gaps in services, equitable and accessible supports and services, and what determinants inform professional learning.”

Calvert – “CCPS is experiencing a shortage of mental health professionals due to the national shortage.There are not enough school psychologists and school social workers in our schools. In addition, our county health department school-based therapists are not fully staffed in our schools. The Calvert County Health department continues to attempt to recruit more staff to better support our schools. Strategies to overcome these challenges are to provide increased salaries, reimbursement for license renewal, and funding for attendance at professional development. Currently we require social workers to have their Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW-C) but we are considering changing this requirement to a Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW) in order to be able to pull from a bigger pool of applicants. We will have some discussions of whether an Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) should be considered as an applicant. School Psychologists with Nationally Certified School Psychologist certification receive an annual salary adjustment of $2,500 [and] social workers with LCSW-C certification receive an annual salary adjustment of $2,500, provided certification [for both are] in good standing.”

Caroline – “The challenges we experience in meeting students’ behavioral health needs include:

  • School-based behavioral health (SBBH) needs/referrals outweigh the capacity of CCPS
  • Difficulties in recruiting and hiring qualified behavioral health therapists for school and
  • Difficulties connecting students to behavioral health services due to lack of parent involvement and follow-through, parent/child refusal, transportation and other barriers.
  • Caroline County is a resource-poor area for standard and specialized behavioral health services.
  • The need for contracted SBBH providers to increase their presence and become more infused into school buildings/routines/meetings and culture.”

and contracted providers to respond and ensure a timely connection to services. There are currently waitlists at 5 of the 9 CCPS Schools. CCPS has seen an increase in total SBBH referrals from 286 for the 20/21 school year, to 434 for the 21/22 school year, and referrals are currently on track to exceed those numbers this year as well. There have also been waitlists in many community-based provider offices in the area as well, some reaching up to 6 months.

community-based providers result in waitlists for some SBBH, and difficulty connecting waitlisted students with alternative community-based services.

Carroll – “The behavioral health needs of our students are rising with the need for social, emotional, and

behavioral supports increasing in frequency, duration, and intensity across all grade levels. Due to limited resources within CCPS, MOUs have been established with Advanced Behavioral Health (ABH) and Life Renewal Services (LRS) to provide therapy to students at school with Medical Assistance (MA). Although the MOUs enable these agencies to serve all schools in the county, those agencies do not have enough therapists to fully cover the needs in all schools. As of 11/28/22, there were five schools that did not have one or both agencies supporting students with MA at school during the school day. There is a significant need for families who are insured or under-insured to receive behavioral health services, but there are long wait lists and CCPS currently does not permit our partner agencies to serve students without MA at school. To address this significant need, CCPS has developed several contracts to provide services outside of school.”

Cecil – “Challenges include:

  • Lack of trained mental health providers.
  • Volume of student behavioral health needs.
  1. Family substance use/abuse that impacts student behavioral health, physical health.
  2. Caregiver ability to understand their child’s behavior health needs and how to find resources.
  3. Poverty
  4. Neglect
  5. Pandemic related issues [such as] Families navigating their work lives at home, while children are also home; lack of socialization with peers and adults; loss of loved ones; loss of income.
  • Funding to hire staff to meet the needs of students.
  • Discipline first” in schools to get things settled and instruction-ready; schools dealing with immediate crisis can make it difficult to meet behavioral health needs.
  • Lack of school staff understanding/awareness of student behavior/mental health.

Strategies to overcome these challenges:

  • Professional development to increase school staff understanding of behavioral health needs and how to address them within the school setting.
  • Additional staff (School Mental Health Professionals) who are licensed social workers who support the social and emotional needs of students in schools with high concentrations of poverty; they also provide professional development and support when specific needs arise in any school.”

Charles – “Post pandemic, CCPS, like many of our other Maryland systems, is struggling to meet the myriad social-emotional needs of our returning to in-person learning students. CCPS has seen an increase in severe behavioral incidents, threat assessments, and referrals for mental health services. We are currently using multiple funding sources to increase mental health staffing and put programs in place to address these needs.

Staff strategies include the following:

  • SY22-23 Grant from Charles County Department of Health to fund two Mental Health Clinician
  • SY22-23 Three Behavioral Support Teacher positions created to assist with rising behavioral concerns with K-2 students.
  • SY 22-23 regionalized sites staffed with a teacher and IA to work with referred K-2 students presenting significant behavioral challenges.
  • SY21-22 Four and a half school counselor positions added to general budget.
  • On-going agreement with community mental health agency to provide mental health services in all schools. Between 12-16 contractor mental clinicians receive referrals from schools to provide intensive mental health services to students in K-12 grade.”

Dorchester – “Challenge: Schools following different procedures relative to tiered behavioral supports. Solution: District Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Leadership Team will develop a framework for the consistent implementation of the following supports: PBIS, Conscious Discipline and Zones of Regulation across Tiers 1, 2 and 3. This framework will accompany the existing DCPS Behavior MTSS Flip Book (linked artifact). DCPS is committed to a districtwide approach to address common social emotional and behavioral mental health through preventative instruction, support, reinforcement of self-management and replacement behaviors, and restorative practices to address the trauma and root causes of behavior.”

Frederick – “The behavioral health needs of our students currently exceed staff capacity in both volume and intensity across school levels. We continue to prioritize behavioral health positions in the FCPS operating budget to address these increasing needs. Additionally, we have enhanced community partnerships to provide in-school therapeutic support for students, doubling the number of providers authorized to access students in school during the school day. One focus continues to be the utilization of FCPS trauma therapists to provide support for students with significant exposure to Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES). Alternative educational opportunities have been expanded or enhanced for students at all school levels. At the elementary level, the Delta program has been expanded to five regional sites serving a total of 16 schools. Delta supports students in K-2 who are not responding to building level behavior interventions and are struggling to demonstrate age-expected social regulation. Other enhancements at the elementary level include music and animal-assisted therapy. Examples of secondary enhancements include leadership development, therapeutic supports, professional learning, trauma informed care, service-learning opportunities, and positive behavioral support initiatives.”

Garrett – “GCPS faces the following challenges in implementing Behavioral Health Services:

  • GCPS has twelve schools spread out over the largest county in Maryland along with one of the smallest student populations which is declining. These factors play a huge factor in providing the behavioral supports and specialized staff to meet the students and families growing needs.
  • Limited behavioral support staff: Not every school has a School Social Worker, School Psychologist, Behavior Coach or Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA). We have four Social Workers, two School Psychologists, four Behavior Coaches and two BCBAs to serve the twelve schools.
  • Lack of types of services: Garrett County does not have a child psychologist in-county; an in-patient health provider in county; a non-public school in school in-county (limited continuum of educational services); [and] lack of in-patient beds and facilities for students in crisis.
  • Inconsistencies in school-based capacity to support students with behavioral health needs.
  • Inconsistencies in implementation of Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) within the school day.
  • Building space for behavioral health providers to have confidential and comfortable areas to work with students in some schools.”

Harford – “The challenges HCPS experience in meeting students’ behavioral health needs are: the overall availability of mental health services in the community, long wait times from referral to the commencement of services, ongoing stigma associated with accessing mental health services, and families who experience barriers to accessing services in the community, especially those families who are uninsured. HCPS works closely with the local Office on Mental Health to provide school-based mental health services in school buildings. HCPS has developed working relationships with 10 outpatient mental health clinics to provide services to students during the school day in our buildings. This practice removes barriers for those families that struggle to access behavioral health services in the larger community. In some instances, school-based services are accessed with greater ease than families navigating the behavioral system on their own. In most cases, this availability of these services limits wait-times from referral to service delivery. To address service availability, HCPS is considering a partnership with a third-party care coordination organization that will work with families to locate behavioral health resources to support the mental health of students. This would be a no-cost resource offered to families.”

Howard – “HCPSS has needed to expand staffing and other supports to address the growing needs of students that have resulted from trauma related to the pandemic. HCPSS has leveraged grant funds and operating dollars to increase the number of programmatic school social workers (18 social workers serving that role) and other school mental health professionals to reduce high caseloads for school system staff and approach the staff-to-student ratios recommended by national social work, school psychologist, and school counseling professional organizations. HCPSS’ primary intervention to address the aforementioned challenges has been advocacy for the expansion of the HCPSS School-Based Mental Health Program, delivered with the assistance of our school social workers. HCPSS has used grant funds from community partners to accelerate expansion of the program to address pressing student needs. Delivery of therapeutic services in schools during the school day helps to remove barriers to access for students and families in HCPSS schools. HCPSS partners with local behavioral health agencies who provide therapists who come into the school buildings to work with students. These partnerships help to address the needs of students with complex behavioral and mental health needs…”

Kent – “Challenges that exist with meeting student’s behavioral health needs are financial barriers, lack of mental health care professionals/services, limited availability of mental health education/awareness, time, and transportation. To assist with these challenges KCPS has applied for grants and partnered with our stakeholders such as local mental health agencies, the Kent County Health Department, and the Kent County Local Care Team, which includes wrap-around services, and the Kent County Department of Social Services. We have employed school social workers to work with students exhibiting behavioral needs in four out of five of our schools. They conduct small group and individual counseling services.”

Montgomery – “There are three significant challenges facing MCPS with regard to meeting students’ behavioral health needs: the increases in student social-emotional and mental health needs since the pandemic; the availability of mental health professionals to meet those needs; and the challenge of destigmatizing and raising awareness of mental health and its impact on students across all stakeholder groups and communities. It is noteworthy that these needs are not unique to MCPS. More than 61,000 of our 150,000+ MCPS students were surveyed regarding socio-emotional and mental health needs. They reported that stress and anxiety, family conflict, and communication were among their top concerns. MCPS has taken a multipronged approach to addressing these challenges. By prioritizing funding to support student well-being needs, MCPS has increased specialized staffing to support student behavior health needs. This includes the addition of 14 parent community coordinators, 44 part-time elementary counselors, 16 part-time middle school counselors, 16 high school counselors, and 7 emergent multilingual therapeutic counselors. Between December 2021 and December 2022, MCPS has created and hired 40 well-being social workers and one social work supervisor to provide direct counseling support, case management, and resource provisioning to students within their local school communities.”

Prince George’s – “Challenges:

  • Staffing mental health positions (school counselors, school psychologists, and mental health clinicians).
  • Increased student need for mental health supports post-pandemic – Readjusting to in-person learning has taken longer than expected.
  • PGCPS has seen the impact of the increased percentage of chronically absent students. Currently, PGCPS is exploring the reasons for increased absenteeism and engaging in parent outreach to provide information and strategies related to increasing student attendance.
  • Increased number of challenging behaviors with students in grades PreK-2.
  • Access to mental health resources outside the school system.
  • Increase in students overdosing, particularly on fentanyl.

PGCPS has a comprehensive plan for supporting students’ behavioral health needs through a layered approach that includes: expanding mental health professionals; creating mental health support office; providing staff training; launching telehealth services; screening and data monitoring; providing student training; expanding counseling partnerships; listing community resources; and communicating services and programs to parents/guardians and students. PGCPS’ Behavioral Health Report 2021 and Enhanced and Expanded Behavioral Health Services Mandatory Report November 2022, provide further details on how each component will lend to the exposure of and access to behavioral health programming and services for all students, staff and families in PGCPS.”

Queen Anne’s – “The main challenge is the lack of Behavioral Health providers in our area. The demand for Behavioral Health services is significantly higher than the supply of providers. Other barriers include:

  • Ability to cross state lines (Queen Anne’s County borders the state of Delaware).
  • The amount of responsibilities School Counselors have can limit their ability to provide behavioral health services to all students who need them.

QACPS does however partner with eight community based providers in order to deliver School Based Mental Health (SBMH) services via tele-health and in-person. QACPS provides in-kind space and supports these providers in grant applications to provide additional funding. Additional strategies include:

  • Adding 2 School Counselors for FY23 and 2 more for FY24.
  • Adding two internal Mental Health Professionals for FY23.
  • Adding two internal Social Workers for FY23.
  • Partnership with Community Mediation Upper Shore (CMUS).
  • Tier 1 Social & Emotional Learning.
  • Tier 1-3 Multi Tiered System of Supports (MTSS).
  • Partnership with the Local Management Board (LMB).
  • Referral process for community programs such as Healthy Transitions.
  • Mobile Response Stabilization Service (MRSS).
  • Anti Bullying presentations – Rachel’s Challenge.
  • Social Media Safety Programs – Organization for Social Media Safety.”

St. Mary’s – “Challenges that impact meeting students’ behavioral health needs include a significant increase in the number and severity of student mental health concerns and limited availability of funding to hire adequate staff to support all schools within the district. Currently, eight secondary schools have a full-time social worker providing mental health counseling support to students and four School Social Workers serving 8 elementary schools. There are 10 elementary schools and two program locations uncovered/unsupported due to lack of funding. School counselors and school psychologists address needs as appropriate in these schools and share community resources with families. Ongoing efforts are made to seek out funding opportunities to expand services to all school sites and programs. We have utilized grant funding to secure all current School Social Work staff that focus on Tier 3 1:1 (ongoing, individual mental health counseling) student supports. The School Social Work positions are dedicated to mental health supports for students. In addition, SMCPS partners with a community agency to provide clinical counseling services for four schools (two elementary and two middle) serving students with state insurance 1-2 days per week.”

Somerset – “There are systemic and school-wide challenges that impact students receiving services for their behavioral health needs. Systemic barriers include: lack of transportation, language barriers, teacher shortage, lack of diversity in available therapists, and lack of programs or services for students needing a higher level of care. Additional barriers system-wide are stigma about mental health, lack of strategies to support a child with mental health challenges, and an inability to access mental health services due to financial hardship / no insurance. We have addressed some of the systemic concerns internally by providing transportation for needed appointments, providing interpreter services for families where language is a barrier, as well as community based small group interventions. Mental health courses are made available to decrease the stigma and provide strategies to staff, families, and community members. To overcome the challenge of teacher shortage and encourage retention we have provided competitive salaries and retention bonuses. School-wide barriers include limited space for mental health providers to meet with students, and limited Professional Development related to student behavioral health. Additionally, staff buy-in, and student-staff relationships impact students receiving behavioral health support.”

Talbot – “In Talbot County, the current local demand for behavioral health services greatly exceeds the availability of current practitioners to manage. In response to the lack of available organizational partnerships, TCPS hired ten school-based social workers to supplement the void in contractual positions. These social workers provide essential support to students on-site at each school, which is supported through grant-funding. We are currently exploring how to incorporate additional behavioral health positions into our local budget to provide students with increased necessary resources to ensure their wellbeing. While there are not many Behavioral Health Clinics in the area, TCPS partners with seven private/community-based health agencies that have contracted an additional ten licensed Mental Health Clinicians that provide services to students all year internal and external to TCPS facilities. When schools are not in session (evenings, weekends, summer), however, the lack of TCPS transportation further challenges the ability to provide these necessary services to students living in geographically rural areas of Talbot County. TCPS acknowledges this concern and is currently discussing ways in which this issue can be mitigated.”

Washington – “The challenges WCPS experiences in meeting student’s behavioral health needs include: lack of transportation for families to access services, uninsured or under-insured students, limited resources in the community, access to services in school and the community, difficulty recruiting independently licensed/experienced school system clinical staff; stigma; increase in K-5 behavioral health needs; limited level of care options for high risk/ aggressive students; parental involvement; and meeting the continuing training needs of staff. During the summer months, outside providers continue services. If students are referred to Student Services by WCPS staff during the summer due to behavioral health concerns, Student Services staff work with home school staff and family to coordinate outside community resources. An additional challenge is that due to summer schedules, parents/guardians are not always able to consistently follow through with continuity of services.

Difficulty recruiting independently licensed clinical staff: WCPS created and hired a social work specialist to provide clinical supervision so staff can achieve a higher level of licensure and increase clinical skills. This position also covers open positions, provides troubleshooting, and delivers professional development.”

Wicomico – “The difficulties we face in meeting students’ behavioral health needs are as follows: WCPS adolescent families and caregivers must overcome numerous barriers to gain access to outpatient and inpatient rural behavioral health treatments. Obstacles can be of the familial, clinical, or socioeconomic variety. Even though demand for services has steadily increased over the last ten years, the current treatment options have significant limitations. Long wait times are frequently cited as the most significant barrier to receiving assistance. Reduced food, housing, and financial security as a result of the pandemic, as well as increased trauma and stress, have either triggered or exacerbated pre-existing mental health issues in vulnerable individuals.

The strategies utilized include:

  • Training(s) on the use of the universally available Behavioral Toolkit, developed by school psychologists, occurs for all teachers, giving them access to the resource listing for all disabilities and proactive strategies for classroom management and instruction of students with these unique needs.
  • Elementary school counselors are continuing to teach the Second Step social-emotional curriculum for PreK to 5th Grade (topics include recognizing emotions, how to establish friendships, bullying prevention, child protection, self-control, etc.).”

Worcester – “The challenges that exist in meeting students’ behavioral health needs are:

  • Workforce recruitment and retention for school social workers and community treatment providers.
  • Community Treatment providers’ fee-for-service funding structure limits time to provide case management and collaboration with multidisciplinary school team.
  • Absence of specialized therapy services (i.e., Spanish and other language therapists, therapy services for non-verbal students, ABA therapy, Functional Family Therapy).
  • Finite number of designated confidential space for school-based therapy services from outside providers.
  • Decreased parental involvement in school-based therapy models that limit progress and generalization of skills.
  • Ongoing stigma from caregivers about their child participating in behavioral health treatment.

[WCPS] seeks to overcome these challenges by working with Salisbury University School of Social Work to support workforce development. Beginning in 2023, WCPS’s Career Fair will include specific outreach for social workers and behavioral health professionals. WCPS hosts quarterly meetings of the School Behavioral Health Council to collaborate with community stakeholders on community behavioral health trends, needs, and effective practices. WCPS is in communication with community partners to discuss and seek grant opportunities to offset costs to allow providers to be more flexible within their fee-for-service structure, and partnership with our local health department on awareness and prevention efforts.”

Click through to read earlier roundups of Blueprint reform efforts on college and career readiness, expanding early childhood education, and efforts to hire high-quality and diverse educators.

by William J. Ford

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