In the last decade, one task force and two courts have examined Maryland’s formula for public education aid. All three have determined that the system distributes money unfairly, failing to help the state’s poorer schools provide the same quality of education that exists in the wealthier jurisdictions.
Baltimore City, the focus of this report, in particular has faced major financial difficulties in recent times, despite the fact that city schools teach almost half of Maryland’s disadvantaged students.
In an attempt to address the inequity in state education aid, the Governor and the State Legislature passed the Action plan for Educational Excellence (APEX) in 1987.
This report seeks to put APEX in context, to predict what effects the law will have on Baltimore City, and to examine the past, present, and future financial condition of the Baltimore City Public Schools.