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MSDE official briefs board on several teacher-related bills in Annapolis
Summary
MSDE government-affairs staff summarized a package of bills that would affect teacher screening, career-ladder pay for National Board candidates, an interstate mobility compact, teacher work-day percentage, retention programs and a portfolio-based pathway for initial certification.
Maryland Department of Education government-affairs staff summarized several education bills under consideration in the General Assembly and outlined how they would affect teacher qualifications, screening and compensation.
Maddie Hauck, a member of MSDE's government-affairs team, told the board she would highlight five to six bills. Among them was House Bill 1025 (cross-filed as Senate Bill 845), described in the presentation as requiring all local education agencies to become members of a national clearinghouse for teacher licensure screening called NASDAQ (as referred to in the briefing). Hauck said the clearinghouse would allow LEAs to screen applicants for prior licensing actions in other jurisdictions.
Hauck also summarized House Bill 1430, which would change how career-ladder payments tied to National Board certification are administered, converting certain salary increases into time-limited stipends; House Bill 118 (the Interstate Teacher Mobility Compact), intended to make it easier for teachers licensed in compact states to obtain Maryland licensure; House Bill 732/SB791, which would raise the proportion of the workday teachers are expected to teach from 60% to 80%; House Bill 986, which would require LEAs to establish teacher retention programs, and House Bill 888, which would add a portfolio-based assessment from an accredited preparation program as an assessment path to initial certification.
Board members asked procedural and budget questions. Karen Yoho and others noted prior legislative attempts on interstate mobility that had not passed and asked who would bear Nasdaq membership costs; Hauck said lawmakers discussed making the membership a state-level expense (Hauck mentioned an estimate of roughly $23,000 to cover statewide membership). Board members also asked about funding for the retention program mandate; Hauck said no funding was specified in the bill text.
Hauck said MSDE would circulate a PDF with links to more detail and that she would provide the board with the bill numbers and supporting materials. She also reminded members of crossover deadlines in the legislative calendar.
No formal board action was taken on the bills at this meeting; the briefing was informational.
