MSDE staff brief committee on bills ahead of crossover; teacher licensure, curriculum review and community-schools changes tracked

Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) legislative staff updated the Education Policy Committee on the status of bills as the General Assembly approached crossover.

An MSDE staff presenter said the department is tracking roughly 60–70 bills and is closely monitoring key items the board has already taken positions on. Among those, the presenter highlighted the teacher certification package (Senate Bill 771 and House Bill 945) that seeks to expand pathways to teacher licensure; MSDE and the State Board supported the measures with amendments to ensure multiple measures meet standards for certification.

The presenter also described the "Educate to Stop the Hate" curriculum bill (Senate Bill 1058 and House Bill 1181), which the board initially opposed but which MSDE said was amended in the Senate to narrow prescriptive curricular mandates and instead embed the department's standards- and framework-review process. MSDE staff said the amended Senate version is on third reading and staff are monitoring final passage.

A third bill the presenter mentioned (House Bill 200 / Senate Bill 161) would alter community-schools requirements to allow smaller LEAs flexibility to use a portion of concentration-of-poverty grant funds at the central office level, while establishing a common needs assessment and giving MSDE approval over implementation plans; MSDE staff said amendments have changed the posture of the bill in each chamber and they are working with partners to track developments.

MSDE staff emphasized the importance of the crossover deadline — the presenter called it a "mad dash" — and said staff will continue to bring amendments and developments to the board as they occur.