The Kirwan Blueprint should not be confused with City School’s existing Blueprint for Success. Our 2017 Blueprint for Success clearly articulated our vision and our plan for what we would accomplish — as a district, in schools, and for students — should equitable resources be made available. With our Blueprint – an evidence-based guide to what students will be taught, how they will be taught, and how we can improve environments for learning – our elected officials and advocates rallied support for what would become, after years of debate, the successfully passed Kirwan legislation. Thus, the priorities in the Kirwan plan align with the existing City Schools priorities articulated in the Blueprint and Reconnect, Restore, Reimagine. In many ways, City Schools has a head start on Kirwan implementation.
Blueprint for Maryland’s Future (Kirwan)
The Blueprint for Maryland’s Future (also known as “Kirwan”) is landmark legislation that was passed into law in 2021. Building on the recommendations of the Kirwan Commission on Innovation and Excellence in Education, this legislation represents a comprehensive overhaul of education funding in the state of Maryland, with major new investments designed to close equity gaps and improve the overall quality of education in the state.
Kirwan Implementation Plan
City Schools’ implementation plan for the Kirwan Blueprint was approved by the Accountability and Implementation Board in July 2023. The plan is laid out as a series of responses to questions posed by the Maryland State Department of Education.
The plan only addresses planning and implementation work that began in 2021-22 and ends in 2023-24. A second plan will be submitted in March 2024 and will cover subsequent years.
The plan is laid out as 164 questions covering the five pillars of work outlined in the Kirwan Blueprint. You can learn more about the development timeline, authors, and process in the presentation that was made to the Board's Operations Committee.
Town Hall materials - January 26 and 31, 2023
Understanding Kirwan Funding
While some initial elements of Kirwan were implemented in the 2021-22 school year, the 2022-23 school year will mark the beginning of substantial impacts on district funding. It’s important to understand what Kirwan is — and what it isn’t.
Kirwan is a recalibration of state funding through an equity lens that works to correct what has been historical underfunding of educational resources for children from low-income families, English language learners, and students with disabilities. In addition, it gives special attention to students who live in areas of concentrated poverty.
This will mean additional funds for the district and the opportunity to deploy new resources on behalf of our students. At the same time, as part of its equity focus, Kirwan is targeted at schools and students who need it most; some schools and students will benefit more than others from Kirwan funding.
Kirwan is not a curriculum, and it is not a “blank check” for the district to spend however it wants; there are guidelines, restrictions, requirements, and mandates. Kirwan is also not the sole source of funding for the district. It is designed to be transformative — to support students and schools at the margins as well as bring about systemic change.
Kirwan Blueprint Implementation Plan
City Schools’ implementation plan for the Kirwan Blueprint was approved by the Accountability and Implementation Board in July 2023. The plan is laid out as a series of responses to questions posed by the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE).
The plan only addresses planning and implementation work that began in 2021-22 and ends in 2023-24. A second plan will be submitted in March 2024 and will cover subsequent years.
The plan is laid out as 164 questions covering the five pillars of work outlined in the Kirwan Blueprint. You can learn more about the development timeline, authors, and process in the presentation made to the Board's Operations Committee.
Below you will find:
The implementation plan that was submitted to the MSDE and approved by the AIB.
An overview of the presentation that was made to the Board's Operations Committee earlier this year.
A very brief, high-level summary of points made under each pillar in the plan.