Jan Greenhawk, Editor, Easton Gazette
I'm a person who looks for connections between events and actions. I believe that nothing that is happening in our country right now is happening by accident or coincidence.
Sometimes the connections are strained. Too often they mesh so perfectly that it is almost eerie.
I have little or no trust in government at any level in any area. The establishment creates situations and programs they know will destroy the systems. This is how they create crises they will later pretend to solve but will only make worse. This is how they gain and maintain control of the people.
They propagandize by making up a positive sounding name that represents the exact opposite of what the program will do. The Blueprint for Maryland's Future is a name that fits the bill. Like "Build Back Better" and "Deficit Reduction Plan," the Blueprint will cause education systems in the state to fail miserably so the State can wrest jurisdiction of schools from the locals and bring them under centralized State control. It's a Blueprint all right, a blueprint for implosion of Maryland schools and ultimate power in the State's hands, which is in direct opposition to its name.
I can hear many of you now. " Hey, this bill was passed under Larry Hogan. He's a Republican!" First of all, Larry Hogan is not a Republican. Larry isn't even a RINO. He's a big government guy along the lines of any Progressive Democrat. Second, he didn't propose this legislation. Larry actually VETOED this legislation, only to have his veto overridden.
House Overrides Hogan's Veto of Education Reform Plan, Other Measures - Maryland Matters
Hogan knew what we know. This bill is going to destroy Maryland taxpayers during a time when they are already suffering from inflation and a slowdown in the economy. And while Larry never seemed bothered about killing Maryland small businesses and the bank accounts of taxpayers, he obviously didn't want to be saddled with this monstrosity as his legacy. And he knew it would do nothing to make education in our state any better.
But that is not what the Blueprint is about, at least not to Progressives in the Legislature. While Maryland Scores on State achievement tests dipped to their lowest levels in decades, the Maryland State Superintendent and Progressives in the legislature used the recent legislative session to bring forth bills that create more state control over what local schools teach, how much gender ideology and sexual content they can cram into the "health" framework and passed laws which permit out of control students to avoid accountability and consequences while destroying schools and attacking other students. They focused on forcing state taxpayers to foot the bill for surgery/treatment that will allow minors to make devastating changes to their bodies and destroy their health now and in the future. All while ignoring the wishes of parents and fulfilling the agendas of the Teachers Union and groups like GLSEN, PFLAG and SIECUS.
As you will read in the above article, it's somewhat of vindication that some of those who sang the praises of this bill (Prince George's County) are now screaming to high heaven over what it will do to their budgets.
Local governments are suddenly surprised by what the Blueprint will do to their bottom line. Baltimore City Mayor Brandon Scott didn't realize that the Blueprint would add approximately 79 million to the city schools' budget. He only expected 12 million additional funding. Here's what he said:
What were you doing while this was going on Brandon?
In the same article, Prince George's County Executive Angela Alsobrooks laments the fact that their county can't afford it either.
Never fear, however, since these two jurisdictions will have Governor Wes Moore's ear to change the funding formula so that they specifically will not have those increases. The Legislature would have to sign off on that, but with the session ending, that seems unlikely unless some emergency arm twisting occurs.
I'm sure Wes can figure something out.
Other jurisdictions will more than likely have to pick up the slack on any funding formula changes in order to help Baltimore City and PG County, again. There is no discussion of possibly auditing waste and fraud in either district. The taxpayers of Maryland will again have to watch their hard-earned wages stolen to be flushed down the toilet. The Blueprint will be a wealth redistribution plan forcing tax dollars from counties like Talbot and Worcester to support programs in the Blueprint they can't afford (and don't need or want), taking away funding from public safety and infrastructure. Jurisdictions like the City and Prince George's County will get a larger percentage of the State's funds per student to be spent foolishly and without monitoring. It will be an opportunity cost situation as the state will pay for one county but will take from another. Like I said, redistribution that Marx would have been proud of.
All twenty-four school systems are facing economic disaster. In our small, Eastern Shore County in Maryland, the school system allotment will increase by almost $8 million dollars. And again, while the money is devastating, staffing may be worse.
The article neglected to address the fact that both Prince Georges County and Baltimore City are suffering hundreds of professional vacancies in their schools, and the Blueprint demands more additions to staff. These positions will be nearly impossible to fill with qualified, competent teachers. Other counties will face the same problem.
Most counties will not be able to fill the positions required to fulfill the mandates of the pre-K program alone, much less the other "pillars" of this program. The Pre-K program in the Blueprint demands the introduction of three-year-olds into the public school system. In an effort that mirrors the failed decades old "Head Start" program, counties will now be required to provide public education to three-year-old children in approved and especially designed educational settings. While some existing private providers may be able to help with the load, bringing them into the system will require additional staff and facility certifications and upgrades.
There are not enough approved facilities, trained staff etc. in all of Maryland to accomplish this. There isn't enough money to entice people into these early childhood teaching positions. There are much easier jobs out there and businesses can't get people to fill them. Now we are going to ask people to get an associate's degree (at taxpayer expense) and work with small children for slightly above minimum wage. Doubtful that many people will bite. Teaching is a calling, not a jobs program. It's also not something just anyone can do.
And what kind of people will we get in large numbers especially with every county in the state vying for these people? Will manning the jobs and filling the spaces outweigh background checks and concern for child safety? Will this overwhelming need create an opening for people who are potential abusers? The people who fill these vacancies "warm bodies" or worse. They will do little in the classroom other than take up space and oxygen.
Again, most school systems can't afford and staff their current Pre-K programs, much less programs that add another age group.
It was estimated in 2020 that this pillar alone will cost the state of Maryland $529 million in state spending annually in 2030. (Maryland Matters) That was in pre-inflation dollars and it doesn't include local contributions that will bring the state total for this pillar alone closer to a billion dollars.
There are five more pillars in the Blueprint, all together costing the State an additional $4 billion dollars a year by 2030. Local districts will necessarily have to foot at least twenty-five percent of that bill through local taxes.
Again, if you connect the dots between the government's desire to redistribute wealth and destroy the middle class, you can clearly see what is going on. If the system is "crashed" then Progressives in the Governor's Office and the Legislature will see this as an opportunity to take over education locally, removing elected Boards and county autonomy.
Add the fact that the current State Department of Education removed recent test scores, blaming it first on their website vendor and then even the Governor's Office, and you see the free fall happening at lightning speed. They are even going back to remove scores from previous years. It's so bad the current Superintendent had to run away from questions from FOX 45 reporter Chris Papst, lock himself in his office, and hide.
No one should be surprised. If you were going to hire someone to destroy a state school system, the current Superintendent would be the perfect pick. Inexperienced, hot headed, and thin skinned, he can't talk to legislators, can't deal with hard questions, is rude to staff he visits in local school systems, and is determined to have complete, tyrannical control over what is taught locally. His job history is not one of glowing success but rather disruption and disaster. Ask the folks in Texas where he worked before Maryland about that! He clearly does not have the temperament or leadership ability to head Maryland schools.
If the ultimate goal is crashing the state school system, all the right players are on board. We have a new Progressive Governor and administration, an overwhelmingly Progressive Legislature, and an inept Superintendent all in place. Which other administration does that remind you of? I'll give you a clue, it's headquartered in D.C.
It's all part of the plan.
The migration of power to the state started with the family. I does not cost much to teach. A room, blackboard, chalk, a yardstick and a teacher acting "in loco parentis" as parent in the absence of the parent. The teacher was backed up not only by the superintendant but by the parents. Today those powers have been taken away from the classroom teacher and the kids know it. It is much more expensive to indoctrinate then to educate. It is a final step to strip parental devision making thus further minimizing the family. These efforts once recognized should not be tolerated.