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June 30, 2025

Talbot Spy

Nonpartisan Education-based News for Talbot County Community

Ecosystem Eco Lead

Md. Park Leaders Tell Lawmakers State Parks Are Severely Understaffed and Underfunded

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Maryland state parks desperately need a boost in funding to hire more permanent staff and update old infrastructure if they want to meet growing demands for park access, state park leaders told lawmakers on Tuesday.

Due to years of low funding and understaffing, park rangers in state parks are overburdened and need support, state park leaders said.

For instance, it took 500 hours for staff to remove nearly 10,000 pounds of trash along a half-mile stretch of the Gunpowder River in Gunpowder Falls State Park in Baltimore County last summer, Dean Hughes, president of the Maryland Rangers Association, told the State Park Investment Commission Tuesday.

“We’re seeing how the sheer number of people is causing irreparable damage to sensitive environments,” he said.

State parks also are losing some of their rangers, who work at or near state minimum wage ($11.75), to the private sector and parks in Anne Arundel, Howard and Baltimore counties which offer better wages, Hughes said.

Although some park rangers do leave state parks to work for county parks, most of the time they think, “this is just not worth it,” said Chris Czarra, a park ranger at Patapsco Valley State Park and a member of Maryland Professional Employees Council Local 6197.

Czarra said that park rangers want yearly wage increases and to be recognized as first responders since they are trained to provide some of the same emergency services that emergency medical technicians and police provide.

“Every day, you don’t know what you’re going to be dealing with and your plans are always being upended by circumstances in the park,” he said.

To meet growing demands, new state parks have opened but without additional permanent staff, Hughes said.

For example, Wolf Den Run State Park in Garrett County opened in 2019 but is managed by the same staff responsible for Herrington Manor and Swallow Falls State Park.

And if a park ranger is on sick leave, there is no trained staff person to substitute, Czarra said.

Meanwhile, park visitors increased during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Unrealistic workloads and low wages make a career within the park service an unattractive option to future stewards, Hughes said.

“The current trajectory of our state parks is simply not sustainable, and we’re in desperate need of a major investment to meet our state’s growing demand for outdoor recreation,” Hughes said.

There is also a disparity between the resources of state parks and national parks. Assateague State Park only has 10 permanent employees, but Assateague Island National Seashore has 50 permanent employees and, with seasonal staff, twice as many on hand in summer, Hughes said.

With an annual operating budget of around $50 million for Maryland state parks and with 21 million visitors last year, spending around $2 per visitor is not enough, Hughes said.

Mel Poole, president of Friends of Maryland State Parks, a volunteer organization, recommends that the state park system add at least 100 permanent staff positions to address the pre-pandemic visitation levels alone.

Poole also estimated a backlog of $100-million worth of maintenance work that was delayed and must be addressed in next year’s budget.

Park rangers want funding to upgrade bathrooms, sewage treatment systems and replace out-of-date maintenance equipment. Some is so outdated that it costs more to pay rangers overtime to repair it than it would to buy new equipment, Czarra said.

Funding is even more dire for local park systems, especially in Baltimore, said Frank Lance, president of the Parks and People Foundation, a non-profit that seeks to improve the quality of life in Baltimore by increasing access to green space.

Lance said he regularly meets with the director of Baltimore City Recreation and Parks Department to figure out how to make a difference in disenfranchised communities. “But from a funding source, we’re trying to make bricks without straw,” he said.

Joel Dunn, president of the nonprofit Chesapeake Conservancy, also recommended that the state develop a long-term capital budget plan separate from Program Open Space, which is run by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources and provides financial assistance to local governments to support recreational land and open space areas.

The federal Great American Outdoors Act that passed last year allocates $900 million annually to the Land and Water Conservation Fund and provides up to $9.5 billion over five years to address the maintenance backlog at national parks. Dunn suggested that lawmakers could follow this national funding model for Maryland state parks.

Hughes said he would like to see the State Park Investment Commission bring about progressive policies for state parks as the Kirwan Commission did for education with its landmark Blueprint for Maryland’s Future.

By Elizabeth Shwe

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Hogan, Dem Leaders Announce $400M Initiative to Expand Broadband Access

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Maryland officials are ramping up their efforts to close the state’s digital divide, with Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr. (R) and Democratic legislative leaders announcing a new program and workgroup aimed at making broadband more accessible to Marylanders Friday.

Hogan, alongside House Speaker Adrienne A. Jones (D-Baltimore County) and Senate President Bill Ferguson (D-Baltimore City) announced the state’s new Connect Maryland initiative to boost broadband access at a Friday event in Snow Hill.

That initiative includes an additional $100 million in funding on top of the $300 million from the American Rescue Plan Act that Hogan, Ferguson and Jones agreed to send toward broadband investments earlier this year. The initiative also includes a bipartisan workgroup made up of municipal and county officials, along with members of the General Assembly, that will look at how to use the $400 million in dedicated broadband funding.

Hogan said the new initiative will be “transformative” in improving broadband access across the state.

“The COVID pandemic has illustrated just how critical a lifeline high speed internet access is to our lives and livelihoods, whether it’s for school work, telehealth or just staying in touch with our families,” Hogan said.

The Maryland General Assembly passed legislation, sponsored in the House by Del. Brooke E. Lierman (D-Baltimore City) and in the Senate by Sen. Sarah K. Elfreth (D-Anne Arundel), during the 2021 legislative session to create a statewide broadband office. That legislation aims to ensure “98% connectivity to universal, affordable, reliable broadband Internet by December 31, 2025,” and that all Marylanders have access to reliable internet by the end of 2026, according to an analysis by the Department of Legislative Services.

Jones said federal relief funding will be key to building out broadband in the coming years.

“All of this isn’t possible without funding,” Jones said. “‘Last mile’ installation costs for broadband range from $35,000 to $70,000 per mile, which can amount to up to $7,000 to connect a single household. With hundreds of thousands of households lacking a broadband connection or even a computer or tablet to access the internet, the costs are worth the investment.”

Hogan and legislative leaders also launched a statewide broadband subsidy program to help low-income Marylanders pay for high-speed internet. To qualify for the Maryland Emergency Broadband Benefit Subsidy Program, Marylanders will need to have been approved for the Federal Emergency Broadband Benefit Program.

The federal program provides a discount of up to $50 per month for qualifying households. Maryland’s subsidy program will mean that those households can receive up to $65 per month when state and federal assistance is combined.

In order for a household to be eligible for the subsidy program, at least one member of the household must meet one of the following requirements:

  • Have an income that is at or below 135% of federal poverty guidelines or participates in certain assistance programs like SNAP, Medicaid or Lifeline
  • Be approved to receive benefits under the free and reduced-price school lunch program or the school breakfast program for the 2019-2020 school year or the 2020-2021 school year.
  • Received a federal Pell grant during the current award year
  • Experienced a “substantial loss of income due to job loss or furlough since Feb. 29, 2020 and the household had a 2020 income of below $99,000 for individual filers or $198,000 for joint filers
  • Meet the eligibility requirements for a participating Internet Service Provider’s existing low-income or COVID-19 assistance program.

By Bennett Leckrone

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

In Closing MACo Remarks, Hogan Reflects on Counties’ Role in Combating COVID

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In his penultimate gubernatorial speech at the annual Maryland Association of Counties summer conference, Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr. (R) touted the state’s high vaccination rate and pandemic relief funding — and urged counties to quickly distribute that money to residents who need it.

Closing out the MACo summer conference at the Roland E. Powell Convention Center in Ocean City Saturday, Hogan outlined a slew of relief measures the state has undertaken from the onset of the pandemic, including the emergency funding and tax breaks in the RELIEF Act passed earlier this year.

“It has offered a real lifeline to those hardest-hit, families who are struggling just to get by and small businesses who are desperately trying to stay afloat,” he said.

He also cautioned that, while counties have recently received rent relief funding from the federal government, some of that money has been slow to get to residents and businesses.

“I just can’t emphasize enough how important it is for you to try to get this relief out to the people that need it most as quickly as possible,” he said.

Some county officials have blamed federal red tape and cumbersome applications for slow progress on distributing rent relief funding. Hogan’s statewide protections for tenants, which allowed for an affirmative defense in failure-to-pay rent eviction filings, expired earlier this month despite calls from local leaders and advocates to renew them.

After three days of policy panels and partying, the MACo summer conference traditionally ends on Saturday with a speech from the governor. Often the platform is used to unveil new proposals or for political messaging.

Caroline County Commissioner Wilbur Levengood Jr. (R), the president of MACo, accidentally began to introduce Hogan, who is thought to have White House ambitions, as “the 62nd president…governor of the state of Maryland.” He laughed at the mistake.

During his speech, Hogan underscored the partnership between the state and county governments in Maryland over the past year and a half. He said counties and the state worked together to ramp up the state’s hospital surge capacity, procure and distribute personal protective equipment, complete millions of COVID-19 tests and undertake a massive vaccination campaign that has led to Maryland’s high statewide vaccination rate.

“It’s never been more important to have the collaboration and the partnership that we’ve had over the past 18 months,” he said.

The governor went on to say that transportation officials will be rolling out a new consolidated transportation program that will include funding for expanding Route 90 near Ocean City — a project he described as both a boon for public safety and the local economy.

Hogan also highlighted the state’s latest $400 million broadband expansion effort, the Connect Maryland initiative, which he announced alongside legislative leaders Friday. Broadband access, made more salient than ever by the COVID-19 pandemic, was among the most discussed topics at the 2021 MACo summer conference.

While in past years Hogan has occasionally slammed legislation from the General Assembly in his closing speech at MACo, this year’s speech mostly focused on state aid to counties and pandemic recovery. Other than teasing the transportation plan and mentioning his desire to focus on Maryland’s long-term public health and economic well-being, the governor offered no policy prescriptions or initiatives for his final 16 months in office.

Hogan lauded local officials and health care workers for their service throughout the pandemic.

“I’m so proud of the people of Maryland, and I’m grateful for the partnership with the Maryland Association of Counties,” Hogan said. “We are ready to come back from this pandemic stronger and better than ever before.”

By Bennett Leckrone

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Talbot County Approves Final CARES Grant Allocations

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On December 8, Emergency Services Director Clay Stamp appeared before the Talbot County Council to seek approval for the final allocations of the County’s CARES Act funding.

This comes as jurisdictions around the country race to spend the last of the federal funding from the Coronavirus Aid Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

Talbot County, though, is steadily working the recovery plan it set in motion in May 2020.

“We don’t want to send back any money that would benefit our citizens,” says Council President Chuck Callahan. “Our team has worked hard to make sure that we have distributed the money where it is needed in our community — to the most vulnerable among us and directly to the business community.”

Early on, Talbot County appointed an executive team to oversee the distribution of funds.Members include Councilman Corey Pack, County Manager Andy Hollis, Emergency Services Director Clay Stamp, Finance Director Angela Lane, and Health Officer Fredia Wadley, M.D.

Of the $6.4 million allocated to the county, $3.2 million was earmarked for the Talbot County Health Department to use for public health initiatives related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The balance was to be spent by the Talbot County government for expenses directly related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the initial plan, the executive team allocated $1.2 million for a business grant program and another $1.2 million funded the county’s individual assistance program.

Additional funds were set aside for the Emergency Operations Center and Emergency Services to make substantial PPE purchases, to cover sheltering for emergency personnel with COVID-19 exposure, and to cover costs related to providing food to those in need. The balance was held in reserve for other expenses.

“Our executive team has helped us find true north when there were decisions to be made,” says Stamp. “We designed a plan that allowed us to both meet the needs of our citizens and be flexible enough to respond to unexpected needs.”

As December 30 and the end of the grant period approaches, the county’s CARES executive team finalized its plan for spending the estimated balance of funds in a way that maximizes the response on behalf of county residents and complies with the grant terms.

The proposal includes the following:

• Hazard pay for public safety employees for the period Talbot County was under a State  of Emergency (March 16 – June 30, 2020) – $367,000

• Grants to volunteer fire departments of up to $30,000 per department for their preparedness response as they continue to serve amid the pandemic – $190,000

• Mobile triage unit for Emergency Services to support the emergency public health response and vaccine delivery – $158,000

• Emergency assistance to Neighborhood Service Center for retention of a COVID-19 assistance staff position if state funding cut is made in CY20 – $5,000

The proposal also recommends the reallocation of funds in underused line items. Those expenditures include:

• Additional funding for small business grants to address unmet needs among county businesses and nonprofit organizations – $250,000

• Distribution of free holiday meals and small grants to the five standing food pantries in the county, as well as facility use cost to Easton Elks Lodge #1622 for mobile pantries -$53,000

• Mental Health First Aid care for Emergency Services personnel – $9,000

Finance Director Angela Lane notes that the proposed plan is based on projections with the final distribution from the Individual Assistance Program including child care assistance being highly variable. During the fall, the Department of Social Services was only receiving 12 applications per week. They are now receiving 17 applications per day, which represent varying levels of financial need.

The county council unanimously supported the distribution of the remaining funds and voted 5-0 to approve the plan.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

As COVID-19 Cases Spike, Hogan Provides More Economic Aid

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As the coronavirus continues to surge across the nation, Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr. (R) dispensed more federal money to boost the state’s emergency response to the virus.

“The sad truth is that the next several months will likely be by far, the most difficult that we have faced,” Hogan said in a State House news conference late Thursday afternoon. “Unfortunately we have more tough times ahead of us, and it’s going to get worse before it gets better.”

On Thursday, the state reported a positivity rate of 5.65%, the highest it’s been since May 27, as well as an additional 1,477 cases over past 24 hours. For nine days in a row, the state has reported over 1,000 new daily cases.

Maryland is currently in the “red zone” for COVID-19 cases as designated by the federal government, along with many other states, Hogan said. The average number of cases per 100,000 residents has risen to 22.8, which is a 52% increase in just the last seven days.

On Sunday, Maryland’s coronavirus positivity rate passed the 5% benchmark, a metric set by the Centers for Disease Control and World Health Organization to track the spread of COVID-19, for the first time since June 25, and has only increased since then.

Half of Maryland’s jurisdictions have positivity rates higher than this benchmark: Allegany, Anne Arundel, Baltimore City, Baltimore County, Charles, Frederick, Garrett, Harford, Prince George’s, Queen Anne’s, Somerset and Washington.

In response to the recent spike in cases, Hogan announced an additional $70 million in state spending through the federal CARES Act:

  • $20 million for a strategic stockpile of personal protective equipment; Maryland currently has a 90-day supply, Hogan said.
  • $15 million for more staffing support in call centers, customer service and fraud detection programming in the Maryland Department of Labor
  • $10 million for rental assistance for low-income tenants
  • $10 million for vaccination planning and equipment, such as syringes
  • $10 million for food banks
  • $2 million for the Maryland Department of Human Services for foster care assistance
  • $2 million to the Maryland Department of Human Services for food (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) and energy assistance
  • $1 million to sample wastewater to test for coronavirus outbreaks in vulnerable communities

Hogan urged the counties to spend their remaining CARES Act funding as soon as possible, emphasizing that the money would be forfeited if not spent by the end of the year. “We have a desperate need right now,” Hogan said.

Hospitalizations due to the coronavirus increased by 53% in the last two weeks, with 863 patients currently hospitalized in Maryland, which is the highest level since June 11. Meanwhile, 199 patients are in intensive care units in Maryland.

The number of COVID-19 related hospitalizations in the nation surged to its highest to over 65,000 patients on Wednesday.

“We are experiencing an out of control spike across the United States and we are seeing widespread community transmission here in Maryland,” Hogan said.

Even so, Dr. Jinlene Chan, deputy secretary of public health services for the Department of Health, and Hogan said the state’s health metrics for reopening schools have not changed.

“It [school reopening decisions] ultimately is the decision of the local school board in conjunction with the local health department,” Chan said. She encouraged school districts to balance the needs of education and mental health for children.

As funding from the Paycheck Protection Program and CARES Act trickles out, Hogan blamed Congress for its inability to reach a compromise on the next COVID-19 stimulus package.

“We’re very, very concerned with the continued gridlock, divisiveness and dysfunction in Washington, while people’s lives are at stake and people’s economic lives and their mental health,” Hogan said.

As “people in the White House are focused on fighting elections and the people in the Biden administration don’t have any information…there’s a little bit of a vacuum right now,” Hogan said.

In the spring, the state had to rent an ice rink as funeral homes and morgues became overloaded with people who had died from COVID-19, Hogan recalled. “We do not want to be in that situation again,” he said.

On Tuesday, Hogan reduced dine-in capacity for bars and restaurants from 75% to 50%, advised against traveling to states with a positivity rate above 10% and encouraged telework.

He said his goal is to keep as much of the economy open as possible, but so is preventing the hospitals from overflowing. “Might we have to take more restrictive action over the coming weeks or months? Absolutely, we might,” Hogan said.

By Elizabeth Shwe

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Easton Mayor Cuts Funding to Discover Easton

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Easton Mayor Robert C. Willey has cut off town funding for Discover Easton.

The non-profit organization, formerly known as the Easton Business Alliance, provides marketing, promotions and event services for Easton and its businesses and organizations. It has received funding from the town for some years.

Discover Easton also gets funding from member businesses and fundraising activities.

In his Sept. 28 letter to the board of Discover Easton, Willey said the money slated for Discover Easton would instead go to the Easton Economic Development Corporation (EEDC).

The town has split its economic development funding between the two organizations for several years. The money comes from the accommodations tax paid by guests at hotels and similar establishments; that tax revenue is required to be spent on tourism or economic development.

Easton Mayor Robert C. Willey

The only explanation the mayor gave in the letter is that the town believes its economic development funding “will be leveraged better” by going entirely through the EEDC.

Willey’s decision comes just three months after the start of the town’s fiscal year 2020-21 budget. The town council unanimously approved the $23.376 million budget, which included $480,750 for economic development, in mid-May.

Discover Easton recently drew some opposition for its proposed pedestrian promenade on Washington Street in front of the county courthouse.

The town council initially approved the street closure, then rescinded approval after opposition. The town later approved the closure of parking spaces along one side of Washington Street to allow for outside dining during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Discover Easton describes itself as “a marketing, promotions and events nonprofit in Easton, Maryland. The mission of EBA is to enhance, preserve and promote the vitality of Easton’s independent merchants which benefit business owners, residents and visitors; and to bring awareness to the Town’s historical roots and lifestyles. EBA is a nonprofit operating under the Mid-Shore Community Foundation. The organizational funding is provided by the Town of Easton; additional funding is provided by membership dues and through fundraising events.”

While Discover Easton has focused on marketing, promotions, and events, the EEDC has worked on business creation and retention.

According to its website, the “Easton Economic Development Corporation was launched in 2013 to drive economic vitality, smart redevelopment, and business creation in the historic Town of Easton, Maryland to foster a healthy quality of life for all generations. The EEDC works toward managing Easton’s continued growth as a diverse and healthy ‘smart town,’ leading innovation where the land and water meet.”

Letter from Mayor Willey

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Talbot Council Majority Backs Proposed Kirwan Funding Change

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The county council voted 3-0 Tuesday night to support a proposed amendment to the Kirwan education legislation that would consider a county’s median household income as a factor in determining state funding for that county’s schools.

Talbot officials have complained for years about the state’s education funding formula, which gives extra weight to a county’s assessed property value. With miles of waterfront property, Talbot is considered a relatively wealthy county and receives less state funding for its schools as a result.

HB 1300, which has been approved by the Maryland House of Delegates and is being considered in Senate committees, provides for the implementation of the Kirwan commission’s recommendations, the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future.

Councilwoman Laura Price said Shore delegates had sought to have the bill amended to include median household income as a factor, but those attempts had failed.

“We’ve all talked for 10 years or so about the wealth formula being unfair to counties like Talbot, Kent, Worcester, who might have high property values,” she said.

An amendment planned to be introduced in the Maryland Senate would require the state to consider median household income for any additional funding required under Kirwan.

“Talbot County is 18 percent below median income,” Price said, noting the change, if approved, would mean additional state funding for the county’s public schools.

“It would give more state dollars to Talbot County and similar counties so that we don’t have to foot the whole bill,” she said. “The price tag between the state and the county stays the same, but the difference is instead of Talbot County having to foot about 75% of the bill, we would get additional state dollars which is what we’ve been talking about for years.”

Councilman Frank Divilio agreed that the county had been seeking additional state funding for education for some time.

He suggested a work session with the school board and school officials, but Price noted that the legislation likely would be approved before such a session could be scheduled.

“As far as the funding policy, all I’m asking for tonight is just support a bill that gives us more state aid,” Price said. “And I can’t imagine that you wouldn’t be supportive of an amendment being offered that would help counties like Talbot with more state aid.”

Councilman Pete Lesher agreed.

“There’s widespread acknowledgement that what we’re doing in education needs to change,” Lesher said. “Maryland has commissioned an expert panel that has laid out a plan. And really the controversy in this is not what needs to be done, how to go about this, the controversy is really entirely about how to pay for it.

“What Mrs. Price has been offering here and following very closely is that part of the legislation that has to do — not so much the content of what we need to do to fix education in Maryland and to become a leader among states in this — but really how to figure out how to pay for it, how to apportion those costs appropriately and in particular how those costs should be apportioned to the county,” he said. “If the funding formula could be adjusted in a way that does not land so heavily on Talbot County that seems to be something we ought to support.”

Price noted that the position of the Maryland Association of Counties (MACo) had been that any additional funding required as a result of Kirwan recommendations should be paid entirely by the state.

“Our only resource is to raise property taxes and the numbers after it passed on Friday are $69 million by 2030 for Talbot County, which is a 40 cent increase in the property tax rate,” she said. “This amendment could mean millions of dollars additional in state aid … rather than having to put it squarely on our citizens’ backs to pay for it. We’re still going to have to go up quite a bit.”

Council President Corey Pack said he would abstain from voting on the issue since he has not seen the amendment.

Price said amendments have to be considered in committee first “before you see the language.

“So you don’t support getting additional state aid, we heard you,” she said.

“Do you or do you not support a median household income adjustment that would give us more state dollars? Price asked. “Yes or no, that’s all we need to say.”

“I’m not in a position to vote tonight,” Pack said. “If others are, that’s fine, we have a second to the motion.”

Divilio, Price and Lesher voted to send a letter supporting a median household income amendment to HB1300; Pack and Vice President Chuck Callahan abstained.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

House Passes Education Reform Bill Three Years in the Making

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The House of Delegates erupted in cheers late Friday as a Democratic majority passed a sweeping education reform bill meant to overhaul Maryland’s public schools over the next decade.

The Blueprint for Maryland’s Future bill ― a $3.8 billion reform plan ― aims to expand pre-kindergarten programs and career education for high schoolers, increase pay and career opportunities for teachers, and boost state funding for schools with high concentrations of poverty.

Also included in the bill is a proposed new education funding formula, which would guide the increased state and local education spending and direct more resources to low-income students, those in special education programs and those learning English.

Democrats cast the vote as a historic moment for racial and economic equity.

“The disparities in achievement between racial and socioeconomic and ethnic communities are unacceptable … it’s morally indefensible,” said House Appropriations Chairwoman Maggie L. McIntosh (D-Baltimore City), a former school teacher who was a member of the Kirwan Commission on Innovation and Excellence and Education that crafted the recommendations on education policy and funding reforms.

Republican members of the chamber said they opposed the bill largely because of its costs, which have no dedicated funding source as of yet.

“This is a massive spending plan that is about to be foisted upon the taxpayers of Maryland,” Del. Haven Shoemaker (R-Carroll) said. “…I’m of the opinion that throwing money at a problem isn’t necessarily going to fix said problem.”

Del. Alonzo T. Washington (D-Prince George’s), vice chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, defends the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future bill on the floor of the House of Delegates. Photo by Danielle E. Gaines/Maryland Matters

Del. Alonzo T. Washington (D-Prince George’s), also a Kirwan Commission member, responded: “We’re not throwing money at a problem. We’re ensuring that we provide initiatives that work for our lowest-performing schools and our students. This is our students, these are our babies back in our schools back at home.”

Republicans tried during hours of debate on Friday to sway a vote to the nay column, or to influence the bill by introducing 14 amendments. All failed along mostly party-line votes.

At the end of the night, shortly before 10 p.m., the bill was passed by a 96-41 vote. All Democrats voted for the legislation and all Republicans voted against it.

After Friday night’s vote, the fight over education funding is far from ending.

The House Ways and Means Committee voted Friday evening to advance a revenue package unpopular with Republicans that would implement combined corporate reporting in the state, increase the state’s tobacco tax and apply it to vaping products, tax certain digital goods similar to tangible goods, and apply a sales tax on some luxury services.

Taken together with other bills under consideration, the bills could generate up to $700 million in new state revenue by 2025, covering a substantial portion of increased state spending for public education in 2025, expected to be about $1.3 billion.

“Whether we crush Marylanders with one massive tax increase or 43 small ones, the net effect is the same,” he argued unsuccessfully.

The House chamber is expected to move quickly on the revenue measures as well, as lawmakers stare down a deadline to present bills to Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr. (R) with enough time to force a same-session veto deliberation.

The reform bill passed with 11 votes more than the three-fifths needed to override a veto. Senate committees are set to begin reviewing the House bill on Monday.

Looking at Local Costs

According to updated fiscal estimates released Friday, overall education funding from the state and counties would reach more than $19.1 billion in 2030, about a 25% increase over what could be expected without the formula change.

The state would direct about $10.5 billion annually to public schools in 2030, up from current spending of $7.3 billion.

The proposed funding formula would also require 13 counties and the city of Baltimore to increase their 2030 local school budgets by anywhere from 2% to 55% over today’s formula. Ten counties already fund their schools at levels exceeding the requirements of the new formula.

County funding burdens under the new formula vary widely because of historical spending patterns and the number of students in each county who qualify for special programs.

The city of Baltimore will have the largest percentage increase ―55% ― in its public schools budget by 2030, when the system will be expected to spend $479.5 million. That’s up from $308.9 million that would be required in 2030 under current law.

At the same time the city’s obligation increases, so too does state funding ― by 68%. The city would receive $1.5 billion in direct state aid in 2030 under the bill.

State funding increases for all jurisdictions under the proposed formula.

Montgomery County Public Schools face the largest local spending increase in raw dollar figures: $234.4 million in 2030, when the county’s school funding obligation would rise to more than $2.1 billion.

The local obligation in Prince George’s County would increase by 20%, or about $183.5 million more than required by the current formula.

Talbot, Kent and Caroline counties also face funding increases of more than 20% by 2030 under the legislation.

By Danielle E. Gaines and Hannah Gaskill.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.