Senate, House differ on Gov. Moore’s education-funding bill

The governor’s education funding bill is on a collision course between the House and Senate as Maryland grapples with a $3.3 billion deficit.While the goal is the same, there are differences over how to accomplish it. The Senate plans to restore much of what the House measure stripped from the governor’s proposal. Both General Assembly chambers and both parties are already at odds over the cost and what to cut.| COMPARE: The governor’s staff faced lawmakers in February to address education funding. See what was in the initial bill.There are major differences on issues like per-pupil spending and teacher planning time. The Senate wants to resolve a teacher shortage before giving instructors more time to plan. Its proposal would pause the so-called collaborative time for four years.”We have to deal with that problem first, and as with any big plan, it is a vision that we should be adjusting along the way,” said Senate President Bill Ferguson, D-District 46. “We think it is kind of a measured, four-year pause in this. (Getting) those 6,500 uncertified (teachers) toward certification is the right way to refocus and reprioritize.”The Excellence in Maryland Public Schools Act (Senate Bill 429) includes a national teacher recruitment campaign, alters community school requirements and expands the list of reasons school districts can request a waiver on spending requirements.| BLUEPRINT: In December, the governor joined a chorus of concerned politicians about how the state will pay for the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future education funding plan. See what he had to say then.As an emergency measure, the Senate bill adds language saying if state revenues decline by more than 3.75% between March and December, school funding would stay flat for the following fiscal year.”As we look out into the out years, there are some real strong headwinds for Maryland’s economy and for our budget. So, we have to make some adjustments now that will impact three, four, five, six years from now, so we can make sure the plan is fully implemented,” Ferguson said.The governor and the Senate president agree that the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future education-funding law remains a top priority, but they acknowledged serious adjustments need to be made now to ensure its full implementation in the years ahead.”We’ve got to do it right. Fixing some of these structural challenges in the Blueprint is because I believe we should be supporting public education and making sure we are supporting our students,” Gov. Wes Moore said. “We will continue working with the General Assembly to ensure there will be changes to the way the Blueprint is structured in this legislative session.”Senate debate on the bill is expected to take place Monday. If it passes, the bill returns to the House, which is expected to reject it. A conference committee will be assigned to work out differences.