Securing Maryland’s Economic Future

An Open Letter on Education, Accountability, and Opportunity

TO: The Honorable Members of the Maryland General Assembly

FROM: A Coalition of Concerned Maryland Business Leaders

DATE: December 15, 2025

We, the undersigned job creators, innovators, and employers of Maryland, share a single vision: A thriving economy powered by a world-class workforce.

We believe in the promise of the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future. We believe our students deserve the best, and we believe that a strong education system is the foundation of a strong economy. However, we cannot support a system that prioritizes spending over results.

Currently, the Blueprint’s implementation is falling short of its promise. It is threatening the stability of the very businesses that fuel Maryland’s economy. We are calling for a common-sense course correction to ensure fiscal integrity and real-world outcomes.

We respectfully call for immediate action on three pillars of economic security:

1. Protect Our Competitiveness: No "Tax on Innovation"

The Issue: To fill a projected $3 billion gap, there are proposals to tax business services—accounting, legal, marketing, and consulting.

The Reality: This is not just a tax on business; it is a tax on innovation and efficiency. A sales tax on services would raise operating costs by up to 6%, penalizing Maryland companies for hiring local expertise.

The Solution: We must reject the Sales Tax on Services. Maryland businesses cannot afford to be the safety net for state-level budgeting errors. We cannot hire, expand, or invest if we are penalized for doing business in our own state.

2. Respect Local Communities: Stop the Unfunded Mandates

The Issue: Annapolis is writing checks that local counties—and local property taxpayers—have to cash. In Frederick County and beyond, commercial property taxes are poised to skyrocket to meet state requirements once initial funding dries up in FY2028.

The Reality: Unfunded mandates create uncertainty. Uncertainty kills investment.

The Solution: We demand Fiscal Guardrails. The General Assembly must institute independent triggers that pause mandates when funding isn't present. The state must stop shifting the burden of Annapolis’s ambitions onto the backs of local businesses and homeowners.

3. Prioritize Results: Real Skills Over Bureaucratic Expansion

The Issue: The Blueprint mandates a massive reduction in teacher classroom time (from 80% to 60%), requiring the hiring of 12,000+ new staff.

The Reality: This mandate prioritizes quantity over quality. It diverts billions of dollars into staffing expansion rather than into teacher pay or workforce readiness. Our businesses are desperate for employees with technical skills and career readiness, not a larger school bureaucracy.

The Solution: Prioritize Career Readiness. We ask the General Assembly to delay the classroom-time reduction mandate. Instead, redirect those resources toward higher pay for our best teachers and robust trade/technical programs that prepare students for the jobs of tomorrow.

The Bottom Line

We are ready to invest in a system that works. But we will not support writing a blank check for a program that lacks transparency. We ask for your commitment: No new statewide taxes without a comprehensive, independent, 3rd-party audit of the Blueprint’s effectiveness.

Let’s build a system that is accountable to taxpayers, responsive to parents, and effective for students. Let’s build a Maryland that works for everyone.

Signed,

Maryland Business Leaders for Fiscal Accountability

(A Coalition Organized by BetterMarylandSchools.org)