Updated: 5:42 PM EST Feb 12, 2021
The Blueprint for Maryland's Future Act is now law after the General Assembly overrode the governor's veto, but Gov. Larry Hogan said the fight is not over.The state Senate voted 31-16 Friday to override Hogan's veto of the Kirwan education bill. This comes after the House of Delegates voted Monday to override the governor's veto.Supporters say the coronavirus pandemic has only widened the academic and performance gap among students and that the bill will help address that.Brit Kirwan, chairman in the Commission on Innovation and Excellence in Education (Kirwan Commission), released a statement on the veto override, saying: "All Marylanders should rejoice over the General Assembly's courageous action to override the veto of the Blueprint for Maryland's Future bill. As a result, desperately needed resources will now flow to the schools and children across the state, including an army of tutors, a significant expansion of community schools and preschools, greater support for teachers and much, much more. With this action, Maryland is now on track to develop a school system that will be the envy of the nation and as good as any in the world."I would like to thank Speaker (Adrienne) Jones and President (Bill) Ferguson for their continued commitment to the children of Maryland, all who dedicated so much time as part of the commission, and all the lawmakers who have voted for this legislation each step along the way. This was the product of years of work by committed lawmakers, state, national and international policy experts, advocates, parents and students. This was truly a team effort and the final product is one every person can and should be proud of. I would also like to take a moment to recognize the late Speaker (Michael) Busch and President (Mike) Miller who had a vision for Maryland schools and got everything started. Thank you."Maryland State Education Association President Cheryl Bost released a statement, saying: "We are thrilled that both houses of the General Assembly have united again in support of the Blueprint for Maryland's Future, a once-in-a-generation opportunity to ensure that every student in every neighborhood has a great public school. In the wake of the pandemic, investing in our schools and students through the blueprint is more important and necessary than ever."We know that our students will benefit from the Blueprint’s plan to expand career and technical education, community schools, and pre-kindergarten, hire more educators and pay them as professionals, give greater support to struggling students, special education, and English language learners, focus on mental health supports and commit to creating lasting educational equity and, ultimately, a more prosperous future for Maryland."Today, we celebrate the years of educator-led activism to bring us to this moment, as well as the hard work and overwhelming support of legislators to advance this transformational bill and pass a new funding formula that supports our students, educators and schools."Hogan vetoed the measure citing economic related shortfalls caused by the pandemic.The governor released a video on YouTube Friday afternoon, in which he says: "Six years ago, I was elected governor because the people of Maryland were sick and tired of dozens of consecutive tax hikes with nothing to show for it."Since then, we have proven that we can cut taxes, while making government work better for Maryland. We have invested record funding into education, and we’ve demanded accountability and results."The legislation forced through by the General Assembly today takes us back to the failures of the past -- at the worst imaginable time. It will impose crippling tax hikes on Marylanders who are already struggling to recover from this unprecedented pandemic."It has no funding mechanism, no real accountability measures and can't guarantee real results for our kids. It’s all taxes and no results."This is not the end of this fight. This is the beginning. Everyone knows this law is short-sighted and unsustainable. It cannot and it will not stand. Contact your legislators. Tell them to ditch and fix the Kirwan Tax Hike."

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