Education - Minimum Wage for Education Support Professionals - Report on Estimated Cost
SB764 addresses compensation for education support professionals in Maryland public schools. The bill defines “education support professional” as a noncertificated public school employee in a nonsupervisory bargaining unit and states that, beginning July 1, 2028, each county board of education must pay these employees at least $25.00 per hour, notwithstanding the general minimum wage provision in the Labor and Employment Article.
In addition to setting that future wage floor, the bill requires the Maryland State Department of Education to study the wages of education support professionals and prepare a report estimating the total cost of implementing a $25 per hour minimum wage. The report must include cost estimates by local school system, account for both filled and unfilled positions below the $25 threshold, and identify how much the State’s per-pupil foundation amount would need to be adjusted to fund the policy. The report is due to the Governor and General Assembly by December 1, 2026.
The bill’s legal effect is to add a new section to the Education Article, Subtitle 3 on salaries and wages, creating a specific wage mandate for a defined class of school employees and authorizing the State Board of Education to adopt implementing regulations. It also temporarily overrides the general statutory minimum wage framework for this group of workers. The act is set to take effect July 1, 2026, but it is also scheduled to sunset on June 30, 2027, unless further legislative action is taken.
The available voting history suggests the bill had meaningful support in the Senate, passing third reading 31-11. The committee report was favorable with amendments, indicating some support but also that the measure was modified during the legislative process. No committee transcript is available, so the record does not show detailed floor or committee debate.
The main point of contention is likely fiscal impact: the bill requires a detailed cost study and specifically asks how much additional state funding would be needed to support a $25 hourly wage across local school systems. That suggests concern about affordability for county boards, the State budget, and the per-pupil foundation formula. Supporters appear to favor raising pay for school support staff, while opponents likely focused on cost, implementation timing, and the effect on local education budgets.
SB764 would create a new statutory wage floor for education support professionals employed by county boards of education, requiring at least $25 per hour beginning July 1, 2028. It adds a new section to the Education Article and authorizes the State Board of Education to adopt regulations. The bill also directs MSDE to produce a statewide and local-system-by-local-system cost estimate, including the funding adjustment needed to support the wage increase through the per-pupil foundation amount. The bill is temporary and sunsets on June 30, 2027, unless extended or reenacted.
The bill appears to have generally favorable momentum, reflected in a favorable committee report with amendments and a 31-11 Senate third-reading passage. That vote pattern suggests broad support for improving pay for school support staff, though not unanimity. The absence of transcript material limits insight into specific arguments, but the amendment process and required fiscal study indicate that cost and implementation concerns were significant enough to shape the bill.
The central controversy is fiscal: whether county boards and the State can afford a $25 hourly minimum wage for education support professionals, and how much additional funding would be required. The bill’s requirement to calculate costs for both filled and unfilled positions below $25, and to identify changes needed to the per-pupil foundation amount, shows that budget impacts were a major issue. Supporters likely emphasized wage equity and retention for school support staff, while skeptics likely focused on the burden on local school systems and the State budget.