State Board of Examiners for Audiologists, Hearing Aid Dispensers, Speech–Language Pathologists, and Music Therapists – Physician Members – Repeal
HB0504, titled the Excellence in Maryland Public Schools Act, makes broad changes to Maryland’s Blueprint for Maryland’s Future and related education statutes. It revises several per-pupil funding formulas and phase-in schedules for foundation funding, compensatory education, English learner funding, special education funding, and collaborative time funding. It also changes how the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future Fund is financed by directing interest earnings from the new Academic Excellence Fund into the Blueprint fund, while expressly preventing Blueprint funds from being used for the new Academic Excellence Program.
The bill creates or expands several new education initiatives. It establishes the Academic Excellence Program and Academic Excellence Fund to support instructional coaching and targeted professional learning, especially in low-performing schools. It also creates a Collaborative Time Innovation Demonstration Grant, a national teacher recruitment campaign, and a Maryland Teacher Relocation Incentive Grant to address teacher shortages and improve retention. In addition, it modifies the Grow Your Own Educators Grant Program, delays certain career-ladder classroom-time requirements, adjusts school leadership training, and updates community school and wraparound-service requirements.
HB0504 also changes teacher certification and mobility rules. It repeals Maryland’s prior Interstate Agreement on Qualifications of Educational Personnel and replaces it with the Interstate Teacher Mobility Compact, which is intended to streamline licensure for teachers moving between member states while preserving state control over licensure and discipline. The bill also revises initial certification requirements for teachers trained in Maryland or other states, including pathways through portfolio-based assessment or induction programs, and adds reporting and monitoring requirements related to teacher diversity and certification outcomes.
The bill’s impact on state law is substantial because it touches multiple titles of the Education Article, State Finance and Procurement Article, and a 2024 chapter law. It changes funding formulas and eligibility thresholds, authorizes local governments to exceed certain tax limits for school funding, creates new grant programs and reporting obligations, and expands the Department of Education’s authority over community schools, instructional coaching, and teacher workforce initiatives. It also requires a special education funding study and a statewide evaluation of the Concentration of Poverty School Grant Program.
The overall sentiment reflected in the bill text is strongly supportive of public-school investment, teacher recruitment, and school-based supports, with a focus on implementation, accountability, and evidence-based practices. No committee transcripts or recorded votes were provided, so there is no additional public discussion to gauge support or opposition. The main points of potential contention suggested by the bill itself are the funding changes, the use of state and local resources, the pause or delay of some Blueprint phase-ins, the new authority for county boards and the Department to manage funds and plans, and the replacement of the existing interstate teacher licensure arrangement with a new compact.
The bill amends numerous provisions of Maryland education law to alter Blueprint funding formulas, create new grant programs and funds, revise community school and wraparound-service requirements, and replace the Interstate Agreement on Qualifications of Educational Personnel with the Interstate Teacher Mobility Compact. It also adds reporting, evaluation, and implementation-plan requirements for county boards, workforce boards, the Department of Education, and the Accountability and Implementation Board, while authorizing limited local tax flexibility for school funding.
The bill is framed as a major pro-education and pro-teacher-workforce measure, emphasizing school improvement, teacher recruitment and retention, and expanded student supports. Because no committee transcripts or votes were provided, there is no recorded debate to indicate divided sentiment; based on the text alone, the measure appears to reflect a policy consensus around strengthening implementation of the Blueprint while adding accountability and flexibility.
Likely areas of contention include the bill’s large-scale restructuring of Blueprint funding schedules, the creation of new state obligations and grant programs, and the shift in how some school funds may be administered or spent on behalf of schools. The repeal of the prior interstate teacher licensure agreement and adoption of a new compact could also raise concerns about licensure standards, reciprocity, and state control. Additional friction points may include the pause or delay of some funding increases, the new countywide community school planning requirements, and the authority for the Department to withhold funds or direct spending if plans are not approved or funds are not used as required.