Delegates press for statewide K–12 AI guidance; MSDE endorses framework and task force
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Summary
House Bill 13 91 would require the Maryland State Department of Education to develop guidance, an approved tools list, workforce development and a task force on artificial intelligence in K–12 schools. MSDE and state officials backed the bill and discussed staffing and fiscal implications.
Delegate Young told the Ways and Means Committee that House Bill 13 91 would direct MSDE to develop and update K–12 guidance on artificial intelligence, create an approved list of AI tools for classroom use, mandate professional development and establish a task force to study AI in education.
MSDE officials including Assistant State Superintendent Sean Fritz Rushing and Aaron Senior, director of digital learning, said the State Board and MSDE support the bill and have been working with the bill’s Senate cross-file to refine implementation. MSDE described amendments that would streamline resource management — removing a mandated annual AI toolkit in favor of an expanded public AI information hub — and move some timelines into mid‑2026. MSDE said it would lead professional development and AI workforce development for educators.
Committee members asked about the fiscal note. MSDE said they were revising the estimate and had reduced an earlier $1 million figure to an amended estimate covering three state positions and one contractor position through the task force period, with an eye to economy-of-scale savings.
Members asked whether other states had similar programs; MSDE said several states are moving deliberately on AI and named Colorado as an example. MSDE also said it would coordinate with higher education and workforce partners and that AI instruction could be woven into existing digital and media-literacy standards rather than always added as separate coursework.
The committee did not record a vote at the hearing.
