Of 70 candidates who responded to a statewide questionnaire, 62 cited financial or administrative burdens tied to the 10-year, $30 billion education overhaul. Many said they support its aims, including expanding early childhood education, raising teacher pay and improving support for students, while questioning how requirements are being implemented.

The Blueprint was approved by the General Assembly in 2021 after lawmakers overrode a veto by then-Gov. Larry Hogan. It directs state and local education agencies to expand prekindergarten, raise minimum teacher starting pay to $60,000, strengthen college and career preparation, provide added support to students with greater needs and track progress toward those goals.

Some measures show improvement. State education department figures show enrollment of 3- and 4-year-olds in full-day prekindergarten increased 70% between the 2021-22 and 2025-26 school years. Literacy scores for students in grades three through eight rose 6.4% over the same period, to 51.7%.

But the plan’s costs are intensifying budget concerns. The Maryland Department of Legislative Services projected in a June 2026 report that the state’s budget gap would grow from $598 million in fiscal 2027 to $2.6 billion in fiscal 2028, as Blueprint expenses exceed the revenue set aside for the program.

Rachelle Johnson, a Harford County candidate, said she supports early education, competitive teacher salaries and career preparation, but questions how some goals are being funded and put into practice. She said the plan need not be treated as something to either fully endorse or reject: some parts could benefit students, while others may need revision.

Candidates also raised concerns about local costs. Sheri Hubbard, running in Dorchester County, described the Blueprint’s aims as worthwhile but said implementation is costly for her Eastern Shore district, which is trying to meet its responsibilities with the funding available.

In Montgomery County, candidate Cassandra Sung warned that proposed budget cuts could affect student-support staff. She argued that students cannot meet academic targets if their needs for safety, stability and belonging go unmet.

The debate extends beyond funding. Candidates said the plan’s detailed requirements and reporting obligations can put pressure on school systems, particularly districts with fewer administrative resources. Baltimore County candidate Stacy McNish said new mandates can disrupt daily operations when school systems are already stretched.

Talbot County candidate Anne Rosen said the state should allow more than one route to student success, including paths into jobs that do not require college. Candidates Kwame Jamal Kenyatta-Bey of Baltimore City and Kate Taylor Logan of Talbot County also backed the Blueprint’s broad aims while warning that some requirements may not be financially practical for districts.

The Blueprint’s Accountability and Implementation Board outlined potential changes at a Sept. 17 meeting as the state prepares an interim evaluation of the plan. Any changes would require approval by the General Assembly. Candidates said greater county flexibility could help address concerns, though they differed on which requirements should change.

The stakes are local as well as statewide: districts must pursue the law’s education goals while balancing budgets and deciding how to staff schools. For candidates such as Johnson, the central question is how to preserve investments that help students while revising provisions that strain communities’ capacity to deliver them.