WCPS to host information sessions about Maryland's Blueprint plan for education

Julie E. Greene, The Herald-Mail
·3 min read
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Washington County Public Schools is hosting three information sessions this month for the community about its draft plan for the Blueprint for Maryland's Future.

The sessions, only one of which will be available for remote viewing, give parents, students, educational staff, the business community, taxpayers and other community members opportunities to provide feedback on the plan that has to be submitted to the state by March 15, school system officials said.

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School system officials have to address requirements of the Blueprint in fashioning the annual operating budget, spokeswoman Erin Anderson said.

When are the WCPS Blueprint information sessions?

The three Blueprint information sessions will be held:

  • Thursday, Feb. 16, at 4:30 p.m. at the Center for Education Services, 10435 Downsville Pike (Md. 632) southwest of Hagerstown.

  • Monday, Feb. 27, at 5 p.m. at Western Heights Middle School, 1300 Marshall St. in Hagerstown's West End.

  • Tuesday, Feb. 28, at 5 p.m. at Williamsport High School, 5 S. Clifton Drive, Williamsport.

The only session that will be broadcast is the first one at the school system's headquarters. That session will air live on WCPS's Facebook page and Antietam Broadband channel 99. A recording of the session will be posted at the school system's YouTube page.

Feedback can be provided in-person at the three sessions, by emailing public_feedback@wcps.k12.md.us, or by writing to the Strategic Initiatives Coordinator, Center for Education Services, 10435 Downsville Pike, Hagerstown, MD 21740.

School system officials expect to have an online survey for feedback, with a link posted on WCPS's homepage, this week before the Thursday session.

That survey and other forms of feedback for the local Blueprint response are due by Feb. 28. That will give school system officials time to review the feedback and make any revisions to their plan before submitting it to the Maryland State Department of Education and the state's independent Accountability & Implementation Board for the Blueprint for Maryland's Future, said Kara Burhans, the school system's strategic initiatives coordinator

Highlights of Washington County's draft educational Blueprint response

The local plan provides information about what Washington County Public Schools is doing now and its plans moving forward in addressing the Blueprint's requirements, said Burhans, the school system's liaison with the Accountability & Implementation Board.

The 2021 state Blueprint law is organized into five policy areas or pillars: Early childhood education, high quality and diverse teachers and leaders, college and career readiness, more resources for all students to be successful, and governance and accountability.

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The info sessions will highlight plans for the first four pillars, Burhans said.

The fourth pillar, about resources to ensure all students are successful, includes special education, English language learning and mental health services for students, Burhans said.

The sessions also will highlight information about apprenticeships and career and technical education programs, as well as the school system's involvement with the local workforce development board, she said.

The emphasis behind the Blueprint is to improve schools and students' readiness for colleges or careers, Burhans said. When they graduate, school system officials want students to be productive members of the community, she said.

What work has WCPS been doing on the educational Blueprint plan?

In preparing the local Blueprint plan draft, the school system formed five committees last summer for early childhood, district courses, pathways, grading, and supplemental instruction, Burhans wrote in an email. Sixty-eight members of the community served on those committees, including parents, business owners and educational staff. The school system accepted applications online to serve on those committees.

A WCPS Blueprint Committee, with 13 members, has reviewed and continues to revise the draft plan, Burhans wrote.

State Blueprint officials provided a template for a plan, with 164 prompts or questions each local school system is to address.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: WCPS is holding info meetings on local plan for Maryland Blueprint