Education was a top priority for Gov. Wes Moore during this year’s Maryland General Assembly session as he repeatedly called for the state’s need to have a “world-class education system.” Moore inherited the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future education reform plan, and despite it being a major driver in the state’s projected deficit, lawmakers didn’t make any sweeping changes to the plan.
During a legislative session filled with back-and-forth budget discussions, the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge and lawmakers attempting to push their bills through before midnight April 8, several education bills passed.
A number of those will take effect Monday. Here are some to look out for and some that did not survive the busy 90-day session.
The state budget
Although Moore’s $63.1 billion budget passed, negotiations were down to the wire during the last two weeks of the legislative session while the state faced the Key Bridge collapse. The Maryland House of Delegates wanted to pass an extensive revenue package, but the Senate remained steadfast in avoiding tax and fee increases.
Lawmakers reached a compromise with a spending plan that could raise up to $91 million for education this fiscal year. Revenue from new taxes on tobacco products will go toward funding the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, though with increased taxes, tobacco use is expected to slow.
The Blueprint remains fully funded until fiscal year 2027, when general funds will then be tapped, causing the projected deficit to increase. Lawmakers worry about the Blueprint’s financial picture but have pushed conversations regarding solutions down the road.
The budget for fiscal year 2025 allocates $10.1 billion to K-12 education.
Maryland Higher Education Commission
The Maryland Higher Education Commission’s approval process for proposed new programs at colleges and universities will be updated and streamlined under a new law. House Bill 1244, cross-filed with Senate Bill 1022, was built from a list of recommendations made by the Maryland Program Approval Process Workgroup in January to add more transparency to the process.
The law requires the formation of a State Plan for Higher Education, which includes goals and priorities for postsecondary education and workforce development needs. According to Del. Stephanie Smith, a Baltimore City Democrat and a sponsor of the bill, other notable requirements are a collaborative fund to reduce institutional financial burdens and letters of intent to create collaboration between institutions.
A mandatory review process for newly approved academic programs that were subject to objection by a historically Black college or university is also established under the law.
The mandatory review will look for “any harm to Maryland HBCUs who have historically contended with unnecessarily duplicative academic programs being approved at non-HBCUs,” Smith said in an email.
This came after the state agreed to a $577 million settlement with its HBCUs in 2021 for putting them at a disadvantage when competing for students after authorizing predominantly white institutions nearby to duplicate academic programs.
Even after the settlement, some institutes have been accused of duplicating HBCU programs. Last year, Towson University withdrew a proposal for a doctoral business program that was similar to one at Morgan State University, which is historically Black. The higher education commission also denied the creation of a physical therapy doctoral program at the Johns Hopkins University and Stevenson University because of their similarity to existing programs at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, a historically Black university, and the University of Maryland, Baltimore.
Despite a last-minute issue that prompted top negotiators to send a letter to the commission, “This bill was enthusiastically signed by Governor Moore and is being implemented, as passed, by the Maryland Higher Education Commission,” Smith said.
Community schools
A law altering requirements for community schools created by the Blueprint passed, though not without changes. Any school that receives Concentration of Poverty Grants is a community school. Under the Blueprint, a school district can use grant money for administrative needs only if it has at least 40 community schools.
Senate Bill 161 and House Bill 200 would have made adjustments so that districts under a 40-school threshold could use 10% of grant funds for administrative needs and certain other costs. But the language was stricken from the law, and instead, it focuses on more technical changes.
Legacy preference in college admissions
After the U.S. Supreme Court ruled affirmative action unconstitutional, Maryland passed a law with bipartisan support to ban legacy and donor preference in admission for institutions that receive state funding.
Del. Jazz Lewis, a Prince George’s County Democrat who sponsored the bill, said it was a great start, especially as the most diverse state on the East Coast.
“Getting a quality higher education can change not just your life but your family,” Lewis said in an interview. “And we should make sure that whatever happens federally, that in Maryland, access is equitable for all those who are qualified and doing what they need to do to prepare themselves for that next step.”
Many colleges and universities across the country have already banned legacy preference, as it disproportionately benefits white students. Similar legislation is also being considered in other states to increase diversity on campuses.
Institutions in Maryland can still ask applicants to provide information about their relationships with alumni for data collection under the law.
Refund for mental health withdrawal from college
Students at Maryland’s public institutions of higher education can receive a refund for tuition and fees paid during a semester if they withdraw due to certain extenuating circumstances, such as mental health.
House Bill 539 and Senate Bill 567, also known as the Cameron Carden Act of 2024, require the institutions to develop a policy to allow students to withdraw if their circumstance interferes with their ability to complete the education and be refunded for the semester.
Cameron Carden was a student at Salisbury University whose mental health became debilitating after graffiti with racist remarks threatening violence appeared on campus, according to his testimony. After seeking help, he decided to leave school, learning he would not be refunded as if he had left for a physical injury. He advocated for the law so others would not have to worry about lost finances while fearing for their safety on campus.
The law makes mental health and wellness a valid circumstance for withdrawing from the institution and receiving a refund, along with illness, injury and hospitalization.
Contraceptive access for community college students
In last year’s session, a bill sponsored by former Democratic Sen. Ariana Kelly passed requiring public four-year colleges and universities to develop a plan to provide students with the full range of reproductive care. This year, Sen. Cheryl Kagan, a Montgomery County Democrat, joined Kelly to sponsor a bill that includes community colleges in the language.
The bill was signed into law in April and goes into effect Monday, mandating community colleges to create and implement a plan to provide students with over-the-counter contraceptives by Aug. 1, 2025.
“It’s about equitable access to contraception,” Kagan said in an interview. “And whether a student is at a four-year college or university or at a program at a community college, she or he should be able to access contraception.”
The law takes effect just a few weeks after the two-year anniversary of the overturning of Roe v. Wade, barring the federal right to abortion. “[Maryland] can do better by helping people avoid pregnancy when possible,” Kagan said.
Because community colleges don’t have residence halls or health centers with wide-ranging hours like a four-year institution, schools can provide access to over-the-counter contraception through vending machines, retail stores on campus, health centers, student centers or other methods. The law is about convenience, Kagan said, as many students are balancing other commitments.
“I think we just have the obligation to make it easy to get contraception,” Kagan said. “And so they’re not faced with the decision about abortion, because they’ve made their choice to try not to get pregnant.”
Trauma-sensitive active shooter drills
Active shooter drills in schools across the state will now be trauma-sensitive under a new law. The legislation bans loud sounds that mimic gunfire or explosions, individuals role-playing as active shooters or victims and other similar activities that may be traumatic for students and staff.
Parents must be notified of the drills or training, which are required to be age-appropriate, at the beginning of each school year. By July 1, 2025, parents will begin to receive model content on the state’s laws for storing firearms as well.
The law fosters collaboration between the Maryland Center for School Safety and an institution of higher education or federal research agency to study active shooter drills’ effectiveness and psychological impact. The Center must find the best practices for drills and training by Oct. 1, 2024. Before the 2025 school year, the State Department of Education will review the Center’s best practices each year and make any necessary updates.
What didn’t pass?
Bills codifying funding for the Broadening Options and Opportunities for Students Today, or “BOOST,” guaranteeing admission for qualifying students to certain universities did not beat the legislative clock.
BOOST, the state’s school choice program, provides scholarships for students who qualify for USDA free and reduced-price lunch to attend private schools. Republican lawmakers pushed for a bill that would mandate funding for the program from the state’s general fund each year starting in fiscal year 2026.
While the bill failed, BOOST is still funded in the budget for this fiscal year, with $9 million allocated to the program.
Sen. Malcolm Augustine sponsored a bill attempting to guarantee admission to schools in the University System of Maryland, Morgan State University and St. Mary’s College of Maryland for students who graduated in the top 10% of their class from a Maryland public or private high school.
The Democrat from Prince George’s County was motivated to write the legislation after the Supreme Court declared affirmative action unconstitutional. The bill was met with opposition from University of Maryland, College Park and Morgan State admissions officers who said it wouldn’t help increase diversity. The bill didn’t make it out of the committee hearing stage.
