Educators Talk Directly to Lawmakers to Improve Safety, Salaries, Voice
And other legislative updates in this week’s Up the Street
THIS WEEK IN ANNAPOLIS
Lobby Night Supports Educator Safety, ESP Salaries and Seat on State Board
Roughly 150 education support professionals (ESPs) from across the state fanned out to legislators’ Annapolis offices on Monday to engage with lawmakers on the need to vote for legislation that would improve school safety, secure living wages, and increase ESPs’ voice in their profession.
SB26/HB176, the Davis Martinez Public Employee Safety and Health Act, would enact commonsense steps to help improve school safety, establishing a unit in the Division of Labor and Industry to address violence and threats in all public workplaces, including schools, to maintain records of incidents and develop violence prevention programs. Senator Ben Kramer (D-Montgomery) is the sponsor of SB26. Delegate Jared Solomon (D-Montgomery) is the sponsor of HB176, which will have a hearing in the House Appropriations Committee on Tuesday.
House Bill 1369, sponsored by Delegate Greg Wims, and Senate Bill 892, sponsored by Senator Craig Zucker, would define ESPs in law and establish a minimum wage of $25 an hour for ESPs to make real progress towards ensuring all ESPs have a living wage. Senate Bill 892 has a hearing in the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee on March 4.
Another of MSEA’s priorities this year is to give ESPs a voice on the State Board of Education (SBOE) to help decide the policies and conditions that impact their work. Senate Bill 712 has been introduced by Senator Ben Brooks (D-Baltimore County), and Delegate Eric Ebersole (D-Baltimore County) is the sponsor of the crossfile, House Bill 923. Senate Bill 712 will have a hearing February 21 in the Senate Education, Energy and the Environment Committee, and HB923 will have a hearing February 25 in the House Ways and Means Committee.
Bill Would Broaden Definition of Educators Eligible for National Board Salary Enhancements
One improvement recommended by MSEA to the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future is to broaden the definition of educators who qualify for salary increases associated with earning National Board Certification. The bill also adds categories of highly qualified educators to the list of professionals whose ”high quality educator credential” qualify them for the salary enhancements. House Bill 551/Senate Bill 517 would include, for example, a school counselor with national accreditation among the educators eligible for the $10,000 bonus that a National Board certified teacher receives. Delegate Jessica Feldmark (D-Howard) is the sponsor of HB551, and Nancy King (D-Montgomery) is the sponsor of SB517, which will have a hearing March 3 in the Senate Education, Energy, and the Environment Committee.
Financial Outlook Worsens; Fair Tax Code Reform Would Improve Fiscal Health of State
A challenging state financial outlook has been made worse since the Trump Administration began to dismantle federal programs. Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson (D-Baltimore City) said the uncertainty of potential cuts to federal programs like Medicaid, money for schools, and the elimination of federal jobs leave Maryland in a precarious position. What was a $3 billion deficit could grow by hundreds of millions of dollars, Ferguson warned.
Righting Maryland’s upside down tax code is a part of the solution to the state’s revenue challenge, and it could take a major step forward through the Fair Share Maryland Act, House Bill 1014/Senate Bill 859, sponsored by Delegate Julie Palakovich-Carr (D-Montgomery) and Senator Shelly Hettleman (D-Baltimore County). The law would increase much needed revenue while reducing the burden on middle and working class taxpayers. The bill will have its first hearing Thursday in the House Ways and Means Committee, and March 5 in the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee. MSEA also supports the governor’s tax reform plan that would similarly restructure Maryland’s tax code to raise needed revenue without putting a disproportionate burden on working people.
Budget Hearings Start; Day of Action Will Press to Prevent School Funding Cuts as Supported in Poll
The deadline to pass the fiscal year 2026 budget is March 31, and before then adjustments must be made if funding for our most vulnerable students is to be preserved. Next week, MSEA will testify with suggested amendments to the governor’s Excellence in Maryland Public Schools Act, Senate Bill 429/House Bill 504, which is legislation outlining K-12 funding. The bill proposes modifications to the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, including a welcome expansion of programs to address persistent educator shortages. But as proposed the budget and the governor’s education bill would also have negative consequences, particularly for at-promise students who come from backgrounds of poverty and for multilingual learners, because of the structure of the proposed four-year delay in collaborative time. A proposed two-year freeze to community school expansion would further compound the loss of expected funding to the students and communities who need additional support.
A majority of Marylanders (58%) oppose freezing funding for schools that have the highest percentage of students coming from backgrounds of poverty, according to a recent Washington Post poll. Advocacy will be critical to protect Blueprint funding that was scheduled to support our students and schools. It only takes a minute to email your legislators and Gov. Moore; tell them to work to prevent deep cuts to our schools and to support the governor’s fair tax reform plan, which will raise much-needed revenue.
MSEA’s Fund Maryland’s Future Day of Action in Annapolis on February 24 presents another dynamic opportunity for educators to raise their voices for responsible budget choices that support our students and sustainable funding for our schools. Click here for more details and to RSVP.
NEWS AND NOTES
Threat to U.S. Education Department Would Reach Maryland Students
Thursday’s Senate confirmation hearings for Trump Administration secretary of education nominee Linda McMahon revealed her intent to undo efforts to make public schools safe, supportive places for all students and to use the department to enrich private schools to the exclusion of the 90% of U.S. students who attend public schools. She looks to expand voucher programs, funneling public resources to discriminatory and unaccountable private schools. At her hearing, she repeatedly demurred on the question of whether students should be offered the opportunity to take classes on Black history. She would narrowly define Title IX protections to deny LGBTQ student rights and support, and she would be in position to punish schools and their students by withholding or denying public funding to districts. While McMahon denied plans to defund education, she referred to alternate ways of funding public schools that sounded like block grants. If this anti-public education agenda is enacted, students will see larger class sizes, fewer resources for at-risk students, the loss of vital services for students with disabilities, cuts to job-training programs, increased costs for higher education, and a rollback of basic civil rights protections.
In Maryland, federal Title I funding provides $323 million to support 222,000 students in the state’s poorest communities. After McMahon’s hearing, NEA President Becky Pringle stated, “Most of us believe every student deserves the opportunity, resources, and support to reach their full potential no matter where they live, the color of their skin, or how much their family earns. But we didn’t hear any of that today. As I travel around the country, parents and educators tell me their schools need more resources and more opportunities that will help students live into their brilliance. They do not want to gut public education or public schools.” Prior to the hearing, NEA leaders and educators from across the country held a rally on Capitol Hill which can be viewed here.
Kirwan, Lynch, Robinson Look for Reappointment to AIB Overseeing Blueprint
William “Brit” Kirwan, Jennifer Lynch, and Justin Robinson, current members of the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future Accountability and Implementation Board (AIB), expect to be reappointed soon to terms expiring in 2030. Kirwan is a retired educator and the AIB vice chair. He chaired the original task force, known as the Kirwan Commission, that developed the Blueprint. Like him, Lynch is an original member of the AIB, appointed in 2021. Robinson, a Prince George’s County Public Schools educator, has served since 2023, when he was appointed by Gov. Moore to fill a vacancy.