When the 2020 legislative session starts in a couple of weeks, you can bet that more time will be spent on funding the Kirwan Commission recommendations than any other single item. After all, the recommendations will cost Maryland taxpayers an additional $4 billion per year when fully implemented some ten years down the road. Two-thirds of that total will come from State coffers and the remaining third will come from local governments. Already Baltimore City Mayor, Jack Young, has advised all government departments to figure on a five percent decrease in their funding to pay for the expected cost of Kirwan at the city level. Fortunately, the additional funding that Baltimore County needs to supply is far less than the city. We have not heard from the Olszewski administration about how it plans to pay for the additional costs of Kirwan.
A recent poll indicates that most respondents know very little about the sum and substance of the recommendations made by the Kirwan Commission. The five broad policy objectives of the commission include investing in high quality early childhood education, including expansion of full day pre-school for 3 and 4-year-olds, free for all low- income families. Elevating teachers thru such measures as raising the standards to enter the profession, higher pay, more extensive continuing development programs and less classroom teaching time. Improving the instructional system by having students’ career- and college-ready by the end of tenth grade. More support for students from the lowest socio-economic rung by additional instruction, health and behavioral services and support for English as second language learners. Finally, the commission urges for better accountability. The commission’s focus on accountability seems to rest with seeing that its policy recommendations are implemented properly. While other educational commentators have recommended better accountability for the entire education system far beyond the narrow work of the commission.
Despite most commentators saying that it’s a slam dunk certainty that the Kirwan findings will be fully funded in this legislative session, it is not too late to push back if you think that the price tag is just too costly. We were told that the Thornton Commission’s work would revolutionize education in the early 2000s, but at least in terms of standardized test scores, we saw students lose ground rather than make up ground. Spending more dollars does not guarantee a better education. We have no further to look than the dollars spent on education in Baltimore City. On a per capita basis, the city is the third highest spending locality in the entire nation on public education. Yet in terms of test score and achievement results, it is far from the top of the heap.
Included in our upcoming general meeting on January 8 will be a discussion about the Kirwan Commission report, as well as a presentation from a member of Kimco Realty about their re-zoning request for the shopping center across from the Fairgrounds. We will also have elections for GTCC officers for the 2020 year. I hope to see you on January 8th and have a wonderful New Year as we move into a new decade.