Hogan Calls For Accountability Before Funding Kirwan Commission Recommendations

Gov. Larry Hogan on Thursday wants lawmakers to ensure accountability for local school systems before appropriating the billions in education funding called for by the Kirwan commission.

"My concern is that the recommendations of the Commission will lead to massive increases in expenditures without any assurance that our kids will receive a better education," Hogan wrote in a letter Thursday to Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. and House Speaker Michael E. Busch.

Last week, Democratic leaders backed a 10-year package that would require $1 billion in state money over the next years. To implement all of the commission's recommendations, it would cost $3.8 billion each year for the next 10 years.

The recommendations include expanded full-day pre-K, increased teacher salaries, more special education funding and support for struggling schools. Lawmakers said they would appoint a commission to figure out how to fund those proposals, but Hogan called for assurances accountability would be on the front end.

"The Commission’s purported aim was to adopt strategies that have been proven in a top-performing state, such as Massachusetts," Hogan wrote. "Yet, the Commission failed to include any of the strong accountability strategies used in that state to achieve that success."

In September, Hogan used an executive order to form an Office of Education Accountability as an independent watchdog. That followed a grade-fixing scandal in Prince George's County and the perjury guilty plea by former Baltimore County Superintendent S. Dallas Dance. Dance failed to disclose tens of thousands in consulting income, including from a company that then won a no-bid contract with the county.

Department of Budget and Management Secretary David Brinkley expressed concerns in his own letter to top lawmakers. He said that a budget analysis by his office foresees a shortfall of $21 billion in all from fiscal year 2021 through 2025 if legislation mirroring the recommendations is passed, as well as other legislation increasing the minimum wage and pay to state employees.

"To put it another way, Maryland households will have to pay an additional $7,000 per family in state and local taxes over the next five years to cover this shortfall," Brinkley wrote.