ANNAPOLIS, Md. (WBFF) — A longtime Maryland State Senator is issuing a warning to her follow lawmakers ahead of the upcoming legislative session in Annapolis. Senator Joanne Benson tells Project Baltimore the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future is not delivering on its promises, and changes need to be made.
After 35 years in office, Senator Joanne Benson’s long political career in Annapolis is coming to an end. But before Benson, a Democrat, retires later this year, she has a warning for her fellow lawmakers regarding public education.
“I’m worried about the education of our children,” said Benson. “I’m very, very concerned.”
Prior to entering politics in 1991, Benson spent decades as an educator in Prince George’s County Public Schools.
“I served in just about every capacity you could imagine,” stated Benson.
Senator Joanne Benson tells Project Baltimore the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future is not delivering on its promises, and changes need to be made (WBFF)
Benson feels that experience has allowed her to understand what works and what doesn’t work when it comes to public education. Right now, she says, the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future is not working, and there’s two main reasons: a lack of teacher training and parental involvement.
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The Blueprint for Maryland’s Future became law in 2021, pumping billions of additional state and local tax dollars into public education. Taxpayers were promised student academic outcomes would significantly improve. So far, that has not happened.
“I’m not so sure we’re getting the bang for our buck,” remarked Benson.
From 2024 to 2026, school funding increased by nearly $1.5 billion annually to $15.5 billion statewide. But the four-year high school graduation rate is down 1.1% to 86.4%. Graduation rates for 2026 are not yet available. Math and English Language Arts proficiency increased about three percentage points each since 2024.
The Blueprint for Maryland’s Future became law in 2021, pumping billions of additional state and local tax dollars into public education (WBFF)
“The kind of money that we’re throwing at this program is not serving the purpose for which I believe the Blueprint was written in the first place,” said Benson.
Benson says the Blueprint does not adequately address the two main problems she believes are holding back educational progress. The first is teacher training.
“We have people coming into classrooms that have not had any training,” stated Benson. “They do not have the skills that are required to really do an effective job.”
According to the U.S. Department of Education, “American educational institutions can vary widely in the character and quality of their programs.” Benson says those differences exist because there are no minimum national standards for colleges and universities regarding schools of education.
That is not the case for other professions. The American Bar Association, for example, sets national standards for universities regarding how law schools train future lawyers. But similar national standards do not exist for how universities train future teachers. Benson says that’s a big problem that Blueprint money does not address.
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“We’ve got to take a look at how we are preparing people to teach in our classroom,” stated Benson.
The other issue Benson says the Blueprint does not address is parent involvement.
Benson says the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future is not working, and there’s two main reasons: a lack of teacher training and parental involvement (WBFF)
“We can’t bring these children forward if we don’t have parents involved,” said Benson.
Benson told FOX45 News when she was a teacher, her school focused on events designed to get parents involved. One back to school night a year, she says, is not enough.
“I’m not so sure that Blueprint can do it, but I think that there are certain things that we can do to encourage parents,” stated Benson. “You have to build relationships before you go knock on somebody’s door to talk to them about their children.”
In the coming years, billions of additional taxpayer dollars are expected to pour into Maryland’s public schools as part of the Blueprint. Benson will not be in Annapolis to help shape how the state manages those rising costs. But she hopes lawmakers heed her warnings and revisit the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future.
“You can’t keep giving money to programs that don’t work,” remarked Benson.
Follow Project Baltimore’s Chris Papst on X and Facebook. Send news tips to cjpapst@sbgtv.com
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