Giving Compass' Take:

• Brian Witte covers the proposed Maryland $4 billion school funding plan and the controversy over where to find the additional funds.

• How can philanthropy help fill the education funding gap sustainably?

Read about donors reforming schools in the U.S.


A Maryland panel voted Tuesday to recommend updating the state’s education funding formula to phase in a major increase for schools that will reach $4 billion annually a decade from now for K-12.

Under the proposal, the state would contribute about $2.8 billion and local governments would contribute $1.2 billion in fiscal year 2030.

William “Brit” Kirwan, who chairs the state commission, said the recommendations take a “critically important step toward addressing the funding inequities presently existing in our state, based on income, race and ethnicities.”

Maryland last updated its school funding formula in 2002. The commission has been working on policy measures that supporters say are aimed at making Maryland’s public schools among the best in the world.

They include investing in early childhood education and increasing teacher pay. They also include implementing rigorous curricula, providing more support to struggling schools and children who live in poverty and creating accountability for underperformance.

Gov. Larry Hogan said the proposal may be “well-meaning,” but he criticized the plan for failing to identify a funding source. The Republican governor contends that will lead to huge tax increases he has vowed to oppose.

The proposal would challenge some local jurisdictions to pay more than they are accustomed to in support of their schools.

Del. Maggie McIntosh, a Baltimore Democrat who chairs the House Appropriations Committee and served on the funding work group, said she was meeting with Kirwan and philanthropic groups this week to discuss potential financial support from foundations.

Read the full article about the recommended $4 billion in Maryland school funding by Brian Witte at Associated Press.