The Maryland State Board of Education convened on January 23, 2024, to discuss key legislative matters and provide recommendations on upcoming bills. The meeting, which lasted from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., focused on three significant bills scheduled for hearings in the coming days.

The first item on the agenda was Senate Bill 5, which pertains to guaranteed admissions for high school graduates from public and non-public schools in Maryland. This bill mandates that Morgan State University, Saint Mary's College of Maryland, and the University System of Maryland automatically admit students who fall within the top 10% of their graduating classes. The State Department of Education recommended support for this bill, with a hearing set for January 24 at 1 p.m. in the Senate chamber.

Next, the board discussed Senate Bill 161, cross-filed as House Bill 200, which addresses community schools. This legislation allows county boards of education with fewer than 40 community schools to allocate up to 10% of their funding from the concentration of poverty grant program under specific circumstances. The department also recommended supporting this bill, which shares the same hearing date as SB 5.

The final item was House Bill 138, which seeks to update the Maryland state curriculum for personal financial literacy education. The department advised opposing this bill due to concerns about the tight timeline for implementation, which is set for December 1, 2025. The board agreed with this recommendation, and a hearing for this bill is scheduled for January 31.

Following the discussions, the board voted unanimously to support SB 5 and SB 161/HB 200 while opposing HB 138. The board's actions reflect a commitment to enhancing educational opportunities while also ensuring that legislative timelines are manageable for effective implementation.

In addition to the legislative discussions, the meeting included plans for the board to testify on the guaranteed admissions bill and submit letters of support for the community schools bill and opposition for the financial literacy curriculum bill. The meeting concluded with a brief recess before resuming discussions on the state superintendent search update.