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AIB, State Board and advocates seek targeted changes to Maryland blueprint in HB 490
Summary
Accountability and Implementation Board and State Board of Education backed House Bill 490 to add flexibility and reduce reporting burdens in the blueprint; witnesses urged a two-year extension of a hold‑harmless for districts in the Community Eligibility Provision while a better poverty‑count methodology is developed.
The Accountability and Implementation Board and the Maryland State Board of Education asked the House Appropriations Committee for a favorable report on House Bill 490, which would make technical and implementation-focused changes to the state’s education "blueprint," aiming to give districts more flexibility and reduce duplicative reporting.
AIB representatives, testifying alongside State Board President Josh Michael, said the changes are refinements rather than a shift in policy and cited early evidence of the blueprint’s impact on student outcomes. "The percentage of students in Maryland proficient in English language arts rose 5.5 percentage points since 2023," Michael said, adding that fourth‑grade NAEP reading rankings rose from 40th to 20th nationally between 2022 and 2024.
Why it matters: The bill packages several discrete proposals—new pathways for teacher certification (MSDE‑sponsored apprenticeship in lieu of a performance test), an extension of the timeline for newly licensed principals to obtain national board certification from 2029 to 2034, a limited extension of AIB’s authority over dual‑enrollment course minimums, and changes to concentration‑of‑poverty and wraparound services funding. Taken together, supporters said, the measures aim to reduce administrative friction while maintaining the blueprint’s accountability goals.
Key debate and requests for amendments: A central point of contention was the hold‑harmless provision for districts that participate in the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP), a federal school meal option that eliminates the need for families to submit free/reduced‑price meal forms and therefore complicates state counts of low‑income students. AIB recommended a two‑year hold‑harmless extension to avoid sudden funding cliffs while the state studies better measurement methods. Delegate Smith and others pressed for a permanent fix instead of a short extension, saying districts in Prince George’s County and Baltimore City need certainty for budgeting. AIB and MSDE responded that the two‑year window is intended to allow for more complete study and stakeholder engagement before making a longer‑term change.
Local perspectives: County and advocacy witnesses generally supported the bill with amendments. Sarah Sample of the Maryland Association of Counties urged a technical amendment to correct a private pre‑K double‑charging calculation that she said affected 15 jurisdictions. Ria Gupta of Strong Schools Maryland asked for a statutory requirement that MSDE and AIB submit a transparent, stakeholder‑driven recommendation on poverty methodology so the state does not drift without clear deadlines.
What’s next: Committee members signaled support for working amendments—particularly on the hold‑harmless term and private pre‑K accounting—before a final vote. AIB and MSDE said they would continue to engage local districts and legislators as the work proceeds.
