The Baltimore city Mayor has the power to prioritize substantial and meaningful revisions to Baltimore city's budget.

One of the critically important policies is the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future (often called “Kirwan”).

In spring 2020, before the onset of the pandemic, BEE called for mayoral candidates to complete a questionnaire posing three questions: 

• Will you fully fund the city’s contribution to the Blueprint for MD’s Future?

• If so, how do you plan to pay for the City’s contribution? 

• As mayor, will you commit to meeting with BEE twice a year? 

We graded candidates on their responses, 8 successfully passed our rubric and were awarded BEE’s education badge.

The ground shifted beneath our feet, and as such, during the forum we sought to understand how candidates viewed the future of education in our city in this new context. 

Now, the BEE Organizing Alliance will continue to work with Baltimore city Mayor-Elect Brandon Scott to develop sustainable, accountable, and equitable plans that fund the Kirwan policy recommendations without detriment to other youth-facing agencies.

Funding these priorities means increasing standards and pay in the teaching profession, improving early childhood learning and reorienting high school to better prepare graduates for college and career.