To use Michael Sanderson’s own words, as the Spy starts a special series on the landmark Kirwan Commission and the resulting legislation now under consideration in Annapolis, he calls it “this most consequential policy decisions that any of these policymakers are going to make during their whole political career.”
In terms of public schools in the state, the stakes have never been higher as Maryland’s General Assembly and Senate debate a bill that would increase spending by $4 billion a year within the next ten years.
Given these circumstances, the Chestertown Spy and Talbot Spy have begun a series of interviews with significant stakeholders both in the capital but in Kent and Talbot Counties to understand the local impact of Blueprint for Maryland’s Future.
We begin with Michael’s perspective as someone who, for decades, has headed up the Maryland Association of Counties (MACo). In his Spy interview, he talks about this historic nature of the Blueprint, and in particular, the effect on Kent and Talbot Counties.
This video is approximately twelve minutes in length. For more information about the Maryland Association of Counties please go here.
Beryl Smith says
Mr. Sanderson offers much food for thought. To me it would make sense to decide the most pressing options, figure out funding for those and proceed from that point. I have seen far too many “educational enhancements” that falter along the way. Good intentions are not necessarily the answer. The thought of the possibility of having to cut funding in other critical areas to fund a massive, untested educational package seems ill-advised. I would urge slower steps and constant reevaluation to determine the effectiveness of those efforts before moving on to the next step.