April 28, 2025

Carroll County Delegation Announces the Granting of Critical Blueprint Accommodation for Carroll County Public Schools (CCPS)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Sam Jones 410-382-6955
April 28, 2025

Annapolis, MD: The Carroll County Delegation is pleased to announce that an agreement
between The Blueprint for Maryland’s Future Accountability & Implementation Board (AIB), the
Carroll County Board of Education, and the Carroll County Delegation has been reached to assist
Carroll County’s implementation of the Blueprint. This agreement involved discussions between
the Governor’s office, the Senate President, Speaker of the House, Senate & House Committee
leaders, the Maryland State Education Association (MSEA), the Carroll County Education
Association (CCEA), the Carroll County Commissioners, and Superintendent McCabe.

The immediate impact of this agreement will prevent an increase in classroom sizes for FY 2026
and FY 2027 and present limited school-level teacher staffing changes for the upcoming school
year. The Carroll County Delegation is glad that this agreement will help avoid massive layoffs
and preserve beloved programs.

“This agreement involved so many moving parts and there are countless people to thank now
that we have crossed the finish line,” said Delegate Josh Stonko, District 42C. “Our delegation
worked with the General Assembly leadership and the AIB to negotiate a statewide waiver
process into Blueprint regulations and gain their support for Carroll County Public School’s
approval. It was a session-long multi-step project that required us to bring together many
stakeholders with different views on Blueprint implementation.”

“I am appreciative of the cooperation we’ve seen from everyone involved throughout these
discussions” said Senator Justin Ready, District 5. “The General Assembly leadership, our
Delegation, our local school officials and state and local unions worked with us to find a
practical resolution that will allow our school system to continue achieving outstanding results
and protecting our ability to continue meeting all our students’ needs regardless of geography,”
Senator Ready concluded.

“This agreement does not solve the long-term issues associated with the implementation of the
Blueprint, but it does grant a critical additional year of digesting the local impact of the statewide
implementation by the Governor, General Assembly, and statewide other decision makers in
what must be an ongoing discussion,” said Delegate Chris Tomlinson, District 5, who serves as
Carroll County Delegation Chair.

The Carroll County Delegation also wants to salute Carroll County parents, students and teachers
for their proactive outreach, Carroll County Superintendent Cindy McCabe and her team for
recognizing the specific impact the implementation of Blueprint has on CCPS, the AIB and their
staff for engaging on this issue, and the CCEA for engaging to find the best possible solution for
Carroll County students and teachers.

The Moore Administration, Speaker of the House Adrienne Jones, Senate President Bill
Ferguson, Chair of the House Appropriations Committee Ben Barnes, Chair of the House Ways
and Means Committee Vanessa Atterbeary, Chair of the Senate Education, Energy, and the
Environment Committee Brian Feldman, and the Chair of the Senate Budget and Taxation
Committee Guy Guzzone all played important roles in reaching this agreement and the Carroll
County Delegation appreciates them working with us in a bipartisan way.

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