The Commission is charged with:
Preliminary Report Due: December 31, 2016
Final Report Due: December 31, 2017
- reviewing the findings and recommendations of the Study on Adequacy of Funding for Education in the State of Maryland regarding:
- the proxy used to identify economically disadvantaged students;
- how to address issues of increasing and declining student enrollment;
- the preferred approach to expanding publicly funded prekindergarten education, including expanding the services and supports needed in special education prekindergarten;
- how to achieve greater equity in school finance and local wealth measures; and
- the appropriate regional cost of education index and how the index should be used to adjust education funding;
- reviewing and assessing current education financing formulas and accountability measures and ensuring the adequacy and equity of funding for prekindergarten and other early childhood education programs;
- determining how the State can better prepare students for postsecondary education and to be competitive in the workforce and with other high performing countries in the global economy;
- reviewing how local school systems are spending education funds and ensuring that education funds are being spent efficiently and effectively and that local school systems are allocating their resources to improve student achievement;
- making recommendations for:
- updating the base funding level for students without special needs and updating the per pupil weights for students with special needs to e applied to the base funding level as established by the Bridge to Excellence Act in Public Schools to ensure that all students are adequately prepared for college and careers;
- addressing how to increase participation in innovative public school models that may require additional funding or alternative funding mechanisms, such as
- other schools that provide innovative education through curriculum, structure, and socioeconomic diversity;
- community schools, including how the State can leverage federal 21st Century Community Learning Center Grants to expand community schools in the State; and
- career and technology education programs;
- apprenticeships and internships;
- Pathways in Technology Early College High Schools;
- early and middle college programs;
- dual enrollment programs;
- addressing the impact of high concentrations of poverty on local school systems;
- ensuring the State laws promote collaboration between county governments and local school systems; and
- making any other recommendations on legislation and policy initiatives to enhance the availability of innovative educational opportunities and to enhance the adequacy and equity of State funding for prekindergarten through grade 12 public education in the State.
Preliminary Report Due: December 31, 2016
Final Report Due: December 31, 2017
Click here and navigate to page 152 of the document to read the Preliminary Report.