Signed by Governor Larry Hogan, Jr.

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to amend and pass a bill that appropriates funds for public schools.

Highlights:

• Appropriates $500 million to the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future Fund in the 2022 fiscal year (Sec. 12).

• Specifies that of that $500 million appropriated, $130 million of the required funding is contingent on the sum equaling at least $130 million of (Sec. 12):

• The Board of Revenue Estimates’ December 2020 estimate of the 2022 fiscal year revenues resulting from legislation enacted at the 2019 and 2020 legislative sessions of the General Assembly; and 

• The amount of available special revenue dedicated to implementing the recommendations of the Commission on Innovation and Excellence in Education that results from legislation enacted at the 2019 and 2020 legislative sessions of the General Assembly. 

• Appropriates $75 million to be distributed as grants to county boards that are eligible, for each of the fiscal years 2020 and 2021 (Sec. 4).

• Requires the state to distribute a grant to each county board equal to $248,833 for each eligible school in the county, for each of fiscal years 2020 and 2021 (Sec. 1).

• Appropriates $2.5 million to the Department for the Teacher Collaborative Grant Program for each of the fiscal years 2020 and 2021 (Sec. 1).

• Requires each eligible school to employ one community school coordinator staff position who will be responsible for establishing a community, including an assessment by July 1, 2020, of the needs of the students in the school for appropriate wraparound services to enhance the success of all students in the school (Sec. 1).

• Requires a county that provides a school nurse, school health services, or community school services from funds outside of those made in the fiscal year 2020 local appropriations to the county board to continue to provide at least the same resources to an eligible school in fiscal years 2020 and 2021 (Sec. 1).

• Requires a state grant provided under this act to be used only to provide an additional salary increase for teachers above the 3 percent salary increase required (Sec. 4).

• Defines “salary increase” as the average percent increase in the salaries for teachers in the county over the prior fiscal year that does not include one-time stipends or payments, promotions, retirement benefits, or other benefits (Sec. 4).

• Specifies that “salary increase” may include salary increases for cost-of-living-adjustments, increments, step increases, interval movements, pathway movements, or similar salary increases received by employees as a regular part of the operation of a personnel system or negotiated schedule between a public school employer and exclusive representation for an employee organization (Sec. 4).

• Defines “teacher” as a certified public school employee who (Sec. 4):

• Is not an administrator; and

• As of April 1, 2019, is part of a collective bargaining unit that includes classroom teachers.

• Requires the state provide a supplemental pre-kindergarten grant to an eligible county board that equals the percentage of the state share of the per-pupil foundation amount multiplied by the number of full-time equivalent eligible children enrolled in a public full-day prekindergarten program on September 30 of the previous school year (Sec. 1):

• 100 percent for the 2020 fiscal year; and

• 100 percent for the 2021 fiscal year.

• Specifies that a local school system will be subject to a performance evaluation conducted by the Office of Program Evaluation and Government Accountability, including (Sec 1):

• An evaluation of whether or no the school system is complying with federal state and local laws and regulations;

• An analysis of grading standards, graduation requirements, assessments, procurement, and equitable use of resources among the schools within the system evaluated; and 

• An evaluation of instances of fraud, waste, and abuse.