Worker Rights, Educator Voice, Revised Star System Advance as Session Nears End

And other legislative updates in this week’s Up the Street

THIS WEEK IN ANNAPOLIS

MSEA Priorities Advance: Worker Rights, Educator Voice, Revised Accountability System

Now just days before the legislative session adjourns Sine Die on Monday, much of the legislation that aligns with MSEA’s legislative priorities is a step closer to becoming law.

With overall commitments to K-12 public education funding intact, next year’s budget was passed on March 30. Both chambers accepted a conference committee report on the fiscal year 2027 budget, Senate Bill 282. It passed on third reader in bipartisan votes in the Senate (38-6), and in the House (102-13). The $71 billion spending plan was balanced, solving a $1.5 billion deficit by moving some funds around, and delaying some expenditures. Governor Moore is expected to sign the budget into law today.

One of MSEA’s priorities that did not make the crossover deadline but is advancing nonetheless is House Bill 1582, the Comprehensive Outcomes and Measures of Progress for Supporting Schools, or COMPASS Act. It is intended to improve the star rating system that grades schools annually through the state school report card. On April 1 the House passed an amended version (98-37) with MSEA’s support. The amended bill had a hearing on Tuesday in the Senate Education, Energy, and the Environment Committee. (See previous coverage in Up the Street for more details on the COMPASS Act.)

A priority included among MSEA’s ESP Bill of Rights involves improving the voice and respect of education support professionals (ESPs) whose work supports every student and school. Del. Eric Ebersole (D-Baltimore County) is the sponsor of House Bill 828, to give an ESP a seat on the State Board of Education. HB282 passed the House unanimously (131-0) and was heard Tuesday in the Senate Education, Energy, and the Environment Committee. To address some concerns related to expansion of dedicated seats on the Board, Del. Ebersole convened MSEA and other stakeholder to offer consensus amendments to help win passage in the Senate. Those amendments would allow the governor to appoint an active ESP, but would not mandate it. This approach is a significant step forward from existing law which prohibits the governor from appointing active employees who are subject to the authority of the Board. Among witnesses in support of the legislation on Tuesday were Cortly Witherspoon, a Baltimore County CARE liaison ESP, and MSEA President Paul Lemle.

Additional labor rights legislation that MSEA fought for is progressing. Senate Bill 6, sponsored by Sen. Ben Kramer (D-Montgomery), is on its way to the governor’s desk to allow collective bargaining by nontenure higher education faculty. SB6 was passed by the Senate last week (32-12) and the House passed it (96-34). Senate Bill 84, also sponsored by Kramer, would expand collective bargaining to graduate assistants. SB84 passed in the Senate (30-11) and was heard April 7 in the Government, Labor, and Elections (GLE) Committee, where several committee members appreciated options to maximize collective bargaining eligibility.

Also on its way to the governor’s desk for signature is House Bill 478 to make preschool educators eligible for tax deductions associated with school supplies they pay for out of pocket. Sponsored by Del. Edith Patterson (D-Charles), HB478 was passed by the Senate unanimously (44-0).

Legislation to restrict cellphones in classrooms and expand guidance about artificial intelligence (AI) is advancing. 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. The Senate unanimously passed SB928 (40-0), and it was heard April 1 in the House Ways and Means Committee. The House unanimously passed HB525 (135-1), and it was voted out of the Senate Education, Energy, and the Environment Committee on Tuesday night.  Senate Bill 720, to require professional development and guidelines in schools concerning AI, was heard April 1 in the Ways and Means Committee. SB720 is sponsored by Sen. Katie Fry Hester (D-Howard and Montgomery).

The Maryland Civic Excellence Program, which would create an incentive for schools and students to excel in civic literacy, has MSEA’s support and is advancing in House Bill 57. HB57 passed second reading in the Senate on Monday. Sponsored by Del. Joe Vogel (D-Montgomery), it would encourage students to register to vote and strive for academic achievement in social studies, government, and civics coursework, without adding to standardized testing or compromising regular curriculum.

Funding education in the future may be more responsive if Senate Bill 170 is passed to establish a task force that will analyze challenges associated with accurate enrollment counts. SB70 was heard Tuesday in the House Appropriations Committee. Sen. Karen Lewis Young (D-Frederick) sponsors the legislation.

With MSEA support, fair housing regulations and affordable housing legislation are progressing. Senate Bill 274, sponsored by Sen. Charles Sydnor (D-Baltimore County), would address housing discrimination. It passed the Senate (33-11) and received a favorable report with amendments by 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 is on first reading in the Judicial Proceedings Committee.

Maryland Bestows Honors on Del. Adrienne Jones, Sen. Joanne Benson, U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi

During what is planned to be their last legislative session, Senate Majority Whip Sen. Joanne Benson (D-Prince George’s) and former House Speaker Del. Adrienne Jones (D-Baltimore County) received their colleagues’ recognition for their contributions to Maryland. The two state legislators, and former U.S. House Speaker Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), all of whom are retiring this year, received honors from the governor and state legislators for groundbreaking contribution as Maryland women in political power.

On March 30, Senate President Bill Ferguson (D-Baltimore City) bestowed on Benson, Jones, and Pelosi the Maryland First Citizen award, which goes to those “who have been dedicated and effective participants in the process of making government work for the benefit of all.” Benson, a retired educator and public school champion, has been a member of the General Assembly for 35 years (see previous coverage in Up the Street), and Jones, a vigorous and critical proponent for the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, is the first woman and first Black legislator to be Maryland’s House Speaker.

Gov. Moore referred to Pelosi, who was born in Baltimore and is the first woman to become U.S. House Speaker, as “Maryland tough and Baltimore strong.” Maryland House Speaker Joseline Peña-Melnyk (D-Prince George’s and Anne Arundel) said Pelosi “has proven over and over that a woman can lead with great skill, tremendous conviction and fearless determination.” Pelosi’s late father, Thomas D’Alesandro Jr., represented Baltimore’s 1st District in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1939 to 1949 and was the 41st mayor of Baltimore. Pelosi’s late mother, Annunciata “Nancy” Lombardi D’Alesandro, was inducted this year into the Maryland Commission for Women’s Hall of Fame for her advocacy for housing, employment, and other social services when she was Baltimore’s First Lady.

NEWS AND NOTES                                                                                                                                                                   

Trump Administration Continues to Dismantle U.S. Department of Education in FY27 Budget

President Trump’s proposed fiscal year 2027 federal budget further dismantles the U.S. Department of Education by consolidating into state block grants or reassigning to different agencies 18 federal education programs. The Department of Education request includes $75.7 billion in funding, which is $3.2 billion, or 4.1%, below the FY2026 appropriation. The budget reduces or eliminates programs that support multilingual students and educators, special education, and other tailored programs. Included in the reductions are a $150 million cut that wipes out full-service community school funding; $890 million in funding for English Language Acquisition (Title III) ), which ensures that English learners and recently arrived immigrant students attain English proficiency, is eliminated; as well as $70 million in teacher quality partnerships, among other losses that the National Education Association (NEA) examined. The budget “turns its back on students with disabilities, students from low-income families, students who live in rural areas—students that need more support, not less,” said NEA President Becky Pringle. “At a moment when educators are stretched and being asked to do more with less, this proposal rips even more resources away from the classrooms and communities that need them most, all while handing more power and privilege to the wealthy and well-connected.”