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THIS WEEK IN ANNAPOLIS

House Committee Approves Revised Accountability System; Many MSEA Priorities Crossed Over

Monday’s crossover deadline came and went with many of MSEA’s legislative priorities now in position to be passed by the opposite chamber. Legislation that did not get passed by the original chamber and cross over to the opposite chamber by Monday must clear additional procedural hurdles before being fully considered this session.

One of MSEA’s high priorities is to hone the star rating system that grades schools. In keeping with the Protect Our Schools Act of 2017, MSEA advocated for a new system that deemphasizes standardized test scores and allows other meaningful and more nuanced factors to be counted among indicators for student and school success. The new system proposed by the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) in consultation with MSEA and other stakeholders is in House Bill 1582, the Comprehensive Outcomes and Measures of Progress for Supporting Schools, or COMPASS Act. The proposed system more holistically captures academic growth, school climate, well-rounded curriculum, and the many indicators that truly reflect student opportunity. (See previous coverage in Up the Street.) HB1582 is a departmental bill and has no crossfile in the Senate. On Thursday, HB1582 had not been reported out of the Ways and Means Committee, and Del. Eric Ebersole (D-Baltimore County) advocated for it to move. Committee Chair Del. Jheanelle Wilkins (D-Montgomery) successfully urged her committee, with some dissent, to report the bill favorably with committee amendments, for second reading in the House. HB1582 is a complex bill that Wilkins said required her to take time with MSDE and MSEA to fully understand. “I had to really go and dig into it myself,” she said. She advised committee members who oppose the bill to do the same. “This bill was a major priority for our school system, and we just want to make sure it’s able to have a fair shot on the other side,” Wilkins said. If the full House passes the bill, because crossover day has passed, it would go to the Senate Rules Committee, which must assign it to a committee if the Senate is to consider it this session.

$71 Billion Budget Bill  Goes to Conference Committee, Contains Full K-12 Funding

On Thursday, the House of Delegates after intense discussion on second and third reader with several Republican floor amendments defeated voted on a bipartisan basis, 114-22 to pass a $70.8 billion budget, Senate Bill 282, for fiscal year 2027. Slightly amended, the bill came out of the House Appropriations Committee keeping the state’s commitment to K-12 public education. The Senate is expected to request the typical budget conference committee to work out differences between the Senate and House version of SB282.  House Speaker Joseline Peña-Melnyk (D-Prince George’s and Anne Arundel) commended colleagues for their “grace in disagreement….We can disagree, because…we come from different backgrounds and represent different people, but we must always, always be intentional about understanding that the person is coming from a good place.”

Another priority that made the crossover deadline involves improving the voice and respect of education support professionals (ESPs) whose work supports every student and school. Del. Eric Ebersole (D-Baltimore County) sponsors House Bill 828, legislation to dedicate an ESP seat on the State Board of Education. It passed the House unanimously (131-0) and is scheduled for a hearing April 7 in the Senate Education, Energy, and the Environment Committee.

A ban on cellphones in classrooms has ranked high on educators’ priorities for years, and this year legislation is making progress to do that. Senate Bill 928/House Bill 525, sponsored respectively by Sen. Kevin Harris (D-Prince George’s and Calvert) and Del. Adrian Boafo (D-Prince George’s), requires boards of education to establish student technology (cell phone) use policies for the 2027-2028 school year. Both bills have crossed over. The Senate unanimously passed SB928 (40-0) and it is scheduled for a hearing April 1 in the Ways and Means Committee. HB525 is in the Education, Energy, and the Environment Committee. Last Friday the Senate also unanimously passed (41-0) Senate Bill 720, to require professional development and guidelines in schools concerning artificial intelligence. SB720 is sponsored by Sen. Katie Fry Hester (D-Howard and Montgomery), and is scheduled for a hearing April 1 in the Ways and Means Committee.

Hearings are scheduled for several labor rights bills that crossed over and were fought for by MSEA. Senate Bill 6, sponsored by Sen. Ben Kramer (D-Montgomery), to allow collective bargaining by nontenure faculty, passed the Senate last week (32-12) and is scheduled for a hearing April 7 in the House Government, Labor, and Elections (GLE) Committee. Senate Bill 84, also sponsored by Kramer, would expand collective bargaining to graduate assistants. SB84 passed in the Senate (30-11), and is scheduled for a hearing April 7 in the GLE Committee.

Maryland is one of the places in the nation with an interest in promoting civics for K-12 students. Without adding to standardized testing or compromising regular curriculum, MSEA supports the Maryland Civic Excellence Program that would be established by House Bill 57, sponsored by Del. Joe Vogel (D-Montgomery) and Senate Bill 204, sponsored by Sen. Cheryl Kagan (D-Montgomery). The program described in this bill creates an incentive for schools and students to excel in civic literacy, and MSEA applauds efforts to encourage students to register to vote and strive for academic achievement in social studies, government, and civics coursework. HB57 passed the House (129-0) and is in the House Education, Energy, and the Environment Committee. SB204 passed the Senate (43-0) and is in the House Ways and Means Committee.

MSEA supported several other bills to benefit schools’ and educators’ financial wellbeing which have crossed over and are scheduled for hearings. Senate Bill 170, to establish a task force that will analyze challenges associated with accurate enrollment counts, is scheduled for a hearing April 7 in the House Appropriations Committee. Sen. Karen Lewis Young (D-Frederick) sponsors SB170. Senate Bill 262, sponsored by Sen. Bryan Simonaire (R-Anne Arundel), passed unanimously (43-0) to make preschool educators eligible for tax deductions associated with school supplies they pay for out of pocket. SB262 is scheduled for a hearing April 2 in Ways and Means. The crossfile is House Bill 478, which passed the House unanimously (134-0), sponsored by Del. Edith Patterson (D-Charles). HB478 is the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee.  

With MSEA support, fair housing regulations and affordable housing legislation are progressing. Senate Bill 274, sponsored by Sen. Charles Sydnor (D-Baltimore County), would prevent housing discrimination. It passed the Senate (33-11) and is scheduled for a hearing April 2 in the Economic Matters Committee. The crossfile is House Bill 573, sponsored by Del. Deni Taveras (D-Prince George’s). It passed the House (96-36) and now awaits a hearing in the Judicial Proceedings Committee. House Bill 168, sponsored by Del. Joe Vogel (D-Montgomery), to establish workforce housing grants for educators is scheduled for a hearing March 31 in EEE.

House Recognizes Former Educator Del. Cullison for Commitment to Public Service

On Thursday in a special announcement, Speaker Peña-Melnyk presented the Casper R. Taylor, Jr. Founder’s Award to retiring Del. Bonnie Cullison (D-Montgomery), vice chair of the Health Committee, a former president of the Montgomery County Education Association, a former special education teacher, and member of the House of Delegates for four terms (see previous coverage in Up the Street). The award goes to a sitting member of the House of Delegates for “steadfast commitment to public service and the integrity of the House of Delegates.” Peña-Melnyk described Cullison as her friend and someone “whose belief in the dignity of every person has guided every decision she’s made in this body.” As MCEA president, Cullison learned that “it’s important to have all voices in elected office,” Peña-Melnyk said. “She listens, builds consensus and gets good policy across the finish line.”

NEWS AND NOTES

Trump Administration Escalates Attacks on Equity in Employment

Instead of administering the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to guarantee equal access to jobs, the Trump Administration is weaponizing the EEOC to attack employers that are applying diversity, equity, and inclusion policies. The EEOC has targeted sportswear manufacturer Nike, sued Coca Cola bottling, and informed Fortune 500 companies that their DEI policies to open pathways for people of color, women, and other minorities amount to illegal discrimination. Trump’s influence over the independent agency has undermined its enforcement of nondiscrimination laws that began as part of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

CAMPAIGN 2026

Maryland Mail-in Ballot Count Threatened by Supreme Court Case

The U.S. Supreme Court is hearing a case that could impact Maryland’s mail-in voting, which currently allows mailed ballots to arrive up to 10 days after Election Day if they are postmarked by Election Day. The federal law at issue pertains to November general elections, not primary elections.

Maryland, the District of Columbia, and 13 other states allow varying grace periods for mail-in ballots to arrive after Election Day to be counted. The Republican National Committee is challenging Mississippi’s five-day grace period on the grounds that Election Day is a federally designated date after which ballots are not allowed. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in October 2024 that federal law requires ballots to be received by Election Day.