Education committee backs MSDE’s working‑time definition, forwards recommendation to full board

The Education Transformation and Finance Committee voted to recommend that the Maryland Department of Education’s proposed definition of teacher "working time" be sent to the full State Board for consideration in December. The committee’s motion — made by Miss Chang and seconded by Dr. Michael — passed in a voice vote after a presentation and extended discussion.

MSDE presenter Alex told the committee that, for implementation of the educator career ladder, "working time shall be defined as the teacher's total contractual working time in hours in a contractual year." The department’s definition counts time outside the student day — including professional development days and collaborative planning outside regular class hours — in the denominator used to calculate the statutory 60% classroom / 40% non‑teaching split for teachers on levels 1–3 as the career ladder is phased in.

The committee heard that the 60/40 target will be phased in over eight years beginning 07/01/2025 and that local collective‑bargaining agreements will determine district contract days and hours. Alex emphasized that salary scales tied to ladder placement are negotiated locally and are not specified in state statute.

Committee members raised practical concerns. Doctor Michael noted the risk to classroom instruction if schools were required to pull teachers out of classrooms too quickly: "The worst thing we could be doing ... is pulling her teachers out 40% of the school time, backfilling with people who are not certified teachers," he said, urging caution and stronger guidance about quality collaborative time. MSDE staff acknowledged the concern and said the department expects some districts will need to hire additional teachers, but the proposed denominator (total contractual working time) reduces the number of additional hires compared with an earlier, narrower definition. Staff described prior estimates from local superintendents that under the previous definition the state might have needed on the order of 15,000 additional teachers, but stressed that these are estimates, not precise modeling.

On timing and compliance, staff told the committee that local education agencies must submit career‑ladder implementation plans to the Accountability and Implementation Board (AIB) by July 1, 2025, including templates the AIB will review for good‑faith phase‑in toward the 60/40 split. MSDE said it intends first to adopt a policy to give LEAs immediate clarity and to pursue a later regulatory codification, which will take more time.

The committee also discussed funding: staff noted a current per‑pupil collaborative‑time supplement in law, roughly $160 per pupil in FY26 under current estimates, that grows in subsequent years; however, they said that no additional explicit funding is guaranteed to cover all potential new hiring needs and that local contexts will vary.

The committee’s motion recommends that the full Board consider MSDE’s working‑time definition at its December meeting; the committee did not record an individual roll‑call for the referral vote in the transcript beyond the maker and seconder and verbal ‘ayes.’ The action is procedural: it forwards the proposed definition for a full‑board decision and signals the department’s intent to follow with regulation and guidance if approved.

What comes next: MSDE will provide templates and guidance to LEAs for July 1, 2025 submissions to the AIB, and the full State Board will consider the recommendation in December. The department and board members also agreed to follow up with guidance on what quality collaborative time looks like so schools can make implementation more effective while minimizing instructional disruption.