MSDE workgroup outlines staffing 'plan for a plan,' breakout groups urge MSDE to be a technical partner

Maryland Department of Education (MSDE) staff told members of the Special Education Workgroup that the agency will pursue a ‘‘plan for a plan’’ to ensure general and special educators have the knowledge, skills and supports needed to teach students with disabilities.

"We turn to how do we deploy our educators, our related service providers, and other school staff, in what combinations, with what frequency, duration, location, in what ratios to deliver special education services?" said Liz Alpi, who led the session’s presentation on prior feedback and the draft recommendations. Alpi presented two central recommendations: (1) develop a plan-for-a-plan that reviews and aligns COMAR, educator preparation programs, clinical experiences and licensure requirements; and (2) develop a plan with tasks and timelines to enhance recruitment and retention, including pipelines, career ladders and rebranding special education.

Participants asked whether the proposed educator competencies were tied to student outcomes. "There is certainly research around what skills educators should have that's tied to student outcomes," Alpi said in response to David Stone's question about the evidence base.

MSDE staff explained that staffing-plan requirements originate in COMAR and that local education agencies must develop and locally approve staffing plans consistent with departmental procedures. Staff noted a staffing-plan review guide issued in 2018–19 has not been updated and that local plans vary widely in format and content across the 24–25 jurisdictions MSDE monitors.

Breakout groups, randomly assigned and recorded, converged on several practical themes. Across groups members urged MSDE to act primarily as a technical partner that (1) summarizes and shares evidence-based practices, (2) provides nonprescriptive guidance and tools (for example, workload calculators and examples of staffing patterns tied to service-delivery models), and (3) supports professional development for teachers and paraprofessionals. Multiple groups said one-size-fits-all numeric mandates (for example, state-wide fixed class-size or staff-to-student ratios) would be difficult to apply equitably because districts differ by size, student needs and available staff.

Several practitioners urged reductions in paperwork and clarified that administrative workload—especially time spent on IEP creation and uploading to the Maryland Online IEP—reduces teachers’ capacity to plan instruction. One participant described having five days a year allocated for IEP paperwork but said completing a single IEP often takes an entire day.

Paraprofessional use and career ladders drew sustained attention. Participants recommended state-supported training programs, tuition reimbursement and career-ladder pathways so paraprofessionals can become paraeducators and teachers, reducing the risk of overreliance on untrained staff to lead instruction.

Budget and implementation capacity remained a recurring concern. One attendee said staffing plans often reflect what districts can afford rather than objectively assessed needs; several participants urged the state to pair evidence-based minimum guidance with funding strategies to make standards achievable.

MSDE also reviewed the interim report timeline. "We have to submit a report July 1 to the AIB," MSDE staff said; an internal first draft was targeted for May 1, with a draft for group review to follow in mid-May. MSDE announced the next virtual workgroup meeting on May 29, which will focus on special-education funding.

The workgroup closed with an exit-ticket reflection asking members to name the top MSDE actions that would most help LEAs address staffing challenges and to propose one recommendation for the next meeting on funding.