01/03/2025
Approximately $111 million will start to be disbursed this year to provide a variety of health care services for families and their children as part of the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future education reform plan.
That’s based on 129 grants submitted to the Maryland Community Health Resources Commission made from recommendations by the Consortium on Coordinated Community Supports. The commission serves as a fiscal agent for the consortium, which was established by the General Assembly in 2021 as part of the Blueprint plan.
The consortium is responsible for developing a statewide framework to expand access for behavioral health services for Maryland students. The $111 million comes from the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future fund.
According to the consortium, “programs will begin this spring and continue through next year.” The group plans to hold an online meeting to officially authorize the spending on Tuesday morning.
About two hours afterward, Senate President Bill Ferguson (D-Baltimore City) will lead a news conference to announce the awards and discuss them in greater detail. Others scheduled to attend the news conference are Maryland Department of Health Secretary Laura Herrera Scott; Edward Kasemeyer, a former state senator who is chair of the Health Resources Commission; consortium Chair David Rudolph, a forum state delegate; Sen. Katie Fry Hester (D-Howard and Montgomery); and Del. Eric Ebersole (D-Baltimore County), who’s also a former teacher.
Kasemeyer, Hester and Ebersole also serve on the consortium. The roster also includes former Maryland Superintendent of Schools Mohammad Choudhury, but he chose to not seek another term in that position in September. Carey Wright currently serves as in the interim superintendent.
When the consortium met in November, it evaluated about 258 project proposals from all 24 school systems that totaled about $380 million. During that time, project requests ranged from $37,000 to nearly $18 million.
One of the biggest awar
