State Funding Per Pupil
The state’s per-pupil funding for Frederick Public Schools increased 33.3% between fiscal 2019 and fiscal 2024. That’s the eighth smallest increase among all 24 Maryland public school districts.
Per-pupil funding is based on a formula that utilizes the district’s total enrollment and the characteristics of its students. It’s too soon to know what the per-pupil funding level will be in the later years of the Blueprint.
Here’s the district’s initial Blueprint Implementation Plan. And here’s what the state Accountability and Implementation Board – which oversees the Blueprint – had to say about Frederick County Public Schools’ Blueprint Implementation Plan:
Strengths:
- The school district collaborated well with private pre-K providers, aimed to increase awareness about pre-K opportunities and planned to boost the number of pre-K classrooms available.
- The district’s partnership with Hood College, Frederick Community College and Deans for Impact is creating a sustainable educator pipeline connected to the Teaching Academy of Maryland program.
- The district is committed to hearing from stakeholders.
- The district provides a set of supports and opportunities for 10th grade students who don’t meet college and career readiness standards so they can get on track for graduation.
- Dual-enrollment programs that were in place are expanding rapidly. There are over 40 career and technical education programs available currently.
- Staffing plans are being aligned with the Blueprint and new positions are being created, such as school building managers.
Needs improvement:
- The district has struggled with finding private providers for pre-K expansion. Other solutions may be needed to achieve the Blueprint’s goal of increasing access to pre-K opportunities.
- Due to the teacher shortage, Frederick County is encouraged to work with local higher education institutions to recruit teachers for high-priority areas and to improve the skills of existing teachers to fill these areas.
- The district should expand apprenticeship opportunities, possibly by partnering with the local workforce development board.
– Isabella Carrero-Baptista