Bill > HB504

This bill, titled the "Excellence in Maryland Public Schools Act", is a comprehensive education reform measure that makes several significant changes to Maryland's public school system. The bill authorizes local governing bodies to exceed certain tax revenue limitations for specific educational purposes, modifies the funding sources for the Blueprint for Maryland's Future Fund, and establishes several new educational initiatives. Key provisions include allowing county governing bodies to set higher property tax rates specifically to fund school board budgets and pension systems, with restrictions to prevent reducing other local funding sources. The bill adjusts the target per pupil foundation amount for various fiscal years, updates the compensation amounts for different educational categories like compensatory education and English learners, and creates a new Academic Excellence Program within the State Department of Education. The Academic Excellence Program aims to address critical academic needs by providing direct coaching support to teachers and administrators, delivering professional learning opportunities, and establishing an Academic Excellence Fund to support these efforts. The program will initially focus on early literacy instruction in elementary schools and expand to other academic topics and grade levels in subsequent years. The bill also establishes a national teacher recruitment campaign to attract licensed and prospective teachers to the state, including a Teacher Relocation Incentive Grant to help out-of-state teachers move to Maryland. Additionally, it creates a school leadership training program and a Maryland School Leadership Academy to support and develop educational leaders. Other notable provisions include requirements for community schools to develop implementation plans, a study on special education funding, and technical assistance for developing innovative teacher collaboration models. The bill represents a comprehensive approach to improving educational quality, teacher support, and student outcomes in Maryland's public schools.

Budget and Finance

https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Legislation/Details/HB0504?ys=2025RS