Worcester County officials this week said they were blindsided by a bill from the state for more than $400,000 for private pre-K costs under Maryland’s Blueprint education reform law.
“This has been thrown on us, and we didn’t know this was coming,” Commissioner Joe Mitrecic said at Tuesday’s meeting.
Internal county documents show the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) invoiced Worcester County $406,662.90 for its share of providing private pre-kindergarten services during the 2024-25 school year.
The March 12 invoice, prepared by MSDE’s Division of Early Childhood, lists the charge as “Thirty-Five (35) Tier I Students at $11,618.94 each” and gives the county until March 2027 to pay.
An accompanying student list identifies CMA Kids and Berlin Education Station as the providers and lists Worcester County as both the program county and county of residence for all 35 students.
Under the Blueprint, the state’s sweeping 2021 education reform package, counties are now expected to help pay for eligible private pre-K students who live within their borders.
The law expands publicly funded pre-K through both public schools and approved private providers, among other changes.