Baltimore (WBFF) — Projected costs associated with school spending and the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future are surging. In total, Maryland’s 24 counties now projected to owe billions more than previously estimated.

Maryland House of Delegate Republicans are not surprised.

Said Delegate Matt Morgan of St. Mary’s County, “Everything we said three years ago that we couldn't afford the Blueprint, is coming true.”

“Our counties can't afford it. The only way they can do it is to increase property taxes,” added Delegate April Miller of Frederick County.

Baltimore County Delegate Kathy Szeliga told Project Baltimore, “They are actually building a plane while they fly it.”

The Blueprint for Maryland’s Future passed in 2021. The law pumps billions of additional state and local tax dollars into public education every year. The Blueprint, in part, increases teacher salaries, expands Pre-K and doubles teacher collaboration time.

But now, new numbers released by the state are showing the Blueprint will cost local jurisdictions far more money than previously projected.

“This is a self-inflicted problem,” stated Morgan.

The first was released in 2022 by the Maryland Department of Legislative Services (DLS). It estimates how much money, in the coming years, the Blueprint was projected to cost taxpayers in Maryland’s 24 local jurisdictions.

The second chart, released last month, represents DLS’ updated projections. And when Project Baltimore compared the two, the differences are significant.

In 2022, for example, just three years ago, DLS estimated the Blueprint would cost local jurisdictions a total of $7.5 billion during fiscal year 2025. But the current 2025 estimates show it will now cost $8.2 billion. The projections were off by around $700 million.

In 2026, initial projections estimated the Blueprint would cost counties $7.7 billion. Now, the cost in 2026 is projected to be $8.4 billion.

Over just the next five years, it’s estimated the Blueprint will cost local taxpayers $3.7 billion more than the state previously projected. That’s a 9.5% increase.

“I am not surprised at all that the estimates were low,” said Szeliga. “I think that there was a movement to pass this bill, and an excitement here that the people crunching the numbers were looking for the best-case scenario they could find.”

In an email, DLS told Fox45 News the initial projects were inaccurate due to a combination of factors.

First, over the last three years, local jurisdictions varied in how they funded education. Those differences affected the projections in subsequent years.

Second, in 2022, Maryland’s legislature passed a law shifting more of the funding burden for the Blueprint from the state to the counties.

Lastly, the Blueprint significantly increases funding for schools with high concentrations of poverty. And in 2022, according to DLS, as a result of the Covid pandemic, the state underestimated the number of students who would be living in poverty.

Think about that for a second. The state partially blames Covid for miscalculating the Blueprint’s cost. But the Blueprint was passed during Covid. No one knew how the pandemic would affect our economy. But the legislature passed the law anyway. And now taxpayers are paying for it.

In Annapolis, last week, at Maryland State Senate President Bill Ferguson’s press conference, Project Baltimore asked Ferguson his thoughts on the projected increase.

“No, it's certainly not,” replied Ferguson. “Look, there's no better time than now to make sure that we're investing in a world-class public education system here in Maryland.”

Ferguson told Fox45 News it’s common for public budgeting projections to fluctuate because formulas and assumptions change over time.

“We know that public education is critical,” added Ferguson.

“I understand what you're saying,” Papst responded. “But the reality is taxpayers by law now have to pay $700 million more in just one year. That's a lot.”

Ferguson replied, “If we want to create a society where everybody has the opportunity to truly thrive, we have to invest in our public education system to give children a chance to meet their potential.”