State Funding Per Pupil
The state’s per-pupil funding for Queen Anne’s Public Schools increased 25.4% between fiscal 2019 and fiscal 2024. That’s the second 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 Blueprint Implementation Plan. And here’s what the state Accountability and Implementation Board – which oversees the Blueprint – had to say about Queen Anne’s Public Schools’ Blueprint Implementation Plan:
Strengths:
- Queen Anne’s has created a continuous improvement process for its college and high school dual enrollment program. Data will be used to help students decide whether to participate and which classes to take.
- The district has presented innovative strategies for its career and technical education programs. Efforts include a virtual job shadowing platform and hiring a district level liaison who “serves as a bridge between the schools and businesses.”
- Queen Anne’s mathematics plan is comprehensive and has a strong emphasis on highly rated materials and tools. The district has also recently updated its literacy plan to fit with Blueprint requirements.
Needs improvement:
- Queen Anne’s County will not meet the necessary 10% teacher salary increase by the required date of June 30, 2024. Queen Anne’s plans to reopen negotiations during the school year and its next arbitration agreement must be in line with Blueprint law.
- Historically, Queen Anne’s has trouble staffing math, world language and secondary education teaching positions, while recent shortages have caused hurdles in filling special education, elementary and secondary positions in all levels. The district needs to consider additional employment strategies, especially those targeting underrepresented populations.
- Queen Anne’s should reconsider its support strategies for students who are not on track to be college and career-ready. The district should ensure that students can access tutoring during the school day, that students who have to repeat a core class are offered a more engaging learning experience, and that students who take advanced courses have access to support.
- The district should establish data-monitoring systems to ensure students are not disproportionately grouped into different levels.
– Shaun Chornobroff