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Sen. Katie Fry Hester outlines AI Ready Schools Act, cites budget and scope changes

Ways and Means Committee · March 23, 2026

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Summary

Sen. Katie Fry Hester told the committee SB 720 would require MSDE guidance, local policy alignment, AI literacy in standards, professional development and an AI collaborative; she said amendments narrowed scope, added privacy and accessibility requirements, and reduced the fiscal estimate from $600,000 to $500,000 per an MSDE letter.

Sen. Katie Fry Hester presented Senate Bill 720, the Artificial Intelligence Ready Schools Act, telling the Ways and Means Committee the measure would prepare Maryland’s public schools to integrate artificial intelligence responsibly. "The bill does four things," Hester said: task the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) with guidance for safe and ethical AI use, require local systems to adopt aligned policies, include AI literacy in workforce-preparation and computer-science standards, and create a stakeholder AI collaborative to study and recommend best practices.

Hester said stakeholders and an interim working group informed the bill. She described senate amendments adopted to reduce the fiscal impact and narrow requirements: the guidance must comply with student privacy and accessibility standards and include parent guidance; a local AI coordinator is defined as a central-office noninstructional position; MSDE will provide a rubric to help local education agencies (LEAs) assess tools rather than producing a prioritized list; and reporting requirements were streamlined with a two-year sunset requested by MSDE. Hester also said MSDE supplied a letter estimating $500,000 in costs, while the fiscal note lists $600,000; she said stakeholders worked to bring the estimate down.

Hester emphasized professional-development flexibility and noted that higher-education partners—including Morgan State—have volunteered to assist. Committee members asked no substantive questions and the sponsor asked for a favorable report.