Moore’s changes to education spending could hurt students in poverty the most

 In the Baltimore Banner, by reporter Liz Bowie, Jan. 28, 2025. Full story here.

Gov. Wes Moore is proposing to rewrite major portions of Maryland’s landmark education law, cutting nearly one-fifth of the new funding the state promised schools by 2029.

While Moore has portrayed his bill as “pausing” pieces of the 10-year plan, the effect will be felt most by students living in poverty and immigrant students learning English. The Blueprint for Maryland’s Future was designed to boost achievement for all students, but it particularly concentrated money at schools with the largest numbers of poor children and the lowest achievement.

Neither the governor’s office nor the Maryland State Department of Education have released figures on how much less each school district would receive than was promised under the Blueprint. But according to rough calculations by the state’s largest teachers union, Baltimore City and Baltimore and Anne Arundel counties — all districts with significant numbers of poor students — stand to lose hundreds of millions of dollars each over four years in both state and local money.

At the same time, Moore would redirect $110 million a year toward new education initiatives to grow and train the teacher workforce, ensure children read proficiently by third grade and improve math instruction, all of which are priorities for Maryland State Superintendent of Schools Carey Wright. Those initiatives aren’t specifically targeted toward poor children.