LAWRENCE J. HOGAN, JR., Governor Ch. 531
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Chapter 531
(House Bill 1349)
AN ACT concerning
Education Support Professionals – Workgroup and Bonus Bonus and Report
FOR the purpose of establishing the Workgroup to Study the Wages of Education Support
Professionals; requiring the Governor to include in the annual budget bill an
appropriation sufficient to provide a certain bonus to certain public school employees
in a certain fiscal year; requiring the State Department of Education to collect
certain data from each county board of education for a certain school year and to
report the data on or before a certain date; and generally relating to the study of the
wages of, and the payment of a bonus to, education support professionals.
SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND,
That:
(a) There is a Workgroup to Study the Wages of Education Support Professionals.
(b) The purpose of the Workgroup is to determine what percentage of education
support professionals in the State earn a living wage and to study increasing the wages of
education support professionals to attract and retain skilled workers.
(c) The Workgroup consists of the following members:
(1) two members of the Senate of Maryland, appointed by the President of
the Senate;
(2) two members of the House of Delegates, appointed by the Speaker of
the House;
(3) one member of the Maryland Association of Boards of Education,
appointed by the Executive Director of the Association;
(4) the President of the Maryland State Education Association, or the
President’s designee;
(5) the President of the Service Employees International Union Local 500,
or the President’s designee;
(6) the President of the American Federation of State, County and
Municipal Employees Local 2250, or the President’s designee;
(7) the President of the American Federation of Teachers–Maryland, or the
President’s designee; and Ch. 531 2022 LAWS OF MARYLAND
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(8) the Executive Director of the American Federation of State, County and
Municipal Employees Council 67, or the Executive Director’s designee.
(d) The Workgroup shall elect the chair of the Workgroup by a majority vote at
the first meeting.
(e) The Maryland State Department of Education shall provide staff for the
Workgroup.
(f) A member of the Workgroup:
(1) may not receive compensation as a member of the Workgroup; but
(2) is entitled to reimbursement for expenses under the Standard State
Travel Regulations, as provided in the State budget.
(g) In determining what percentage of education support professionals earn a
living wage in the State and to study increasing the wages of education support
professionals to attract and retain skilled workers, the Workgroup shall consider:
(1) the role of local education systems and the State in hiring education
support professionals;
(2) the number of education support professionals employed by the State
or a local school system, or as a contractor;
(3) any cost–sharing between the State and the local school systems with
regard to the wages and salaries of education support professionals;
(4) the total number of part–time and full–time education support
professionals in the State;
(5) the number of hours required to work, according to the policies of each
jurisdiction, to be considered a full–time employee;
(6) a complete list of education support professional classifications by
jurisdiction;
(7) the average hourly wage of education support professionals in the State
and by jurisdiction;
(8) an analysis of the wage scale for education support professionals;
(9) information on increased wages or bonuses by jurisdiction within the
last 5 years; LAWRENCE J. HOGAN, JR., Governor Ch. 531
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(10) the amount of vacancies in the State and by jurisdiction for education
support professional jobs; and
(11) information on the future of education support professional jobs in the
State.
(h) (1) On or before November 30, 2022, the Workgroup shall submit an
interim report of its findings and recommendations to, in accordance with § 2–1257 of the
State Government Article, the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee, the Senate
Education, Health, and Environmental Affairs Committee, the House Appropriations
Committee, and the House Committee on Ways and Means.
(2) On or before August 31, 2023, the Workgroup shall submit a final report
of its findings and recommendations, in accordance with § 2–1257 of the State Government
Article, to the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee, the Senate Education, Health, and
Environmental Affairs Committee, the House Appropriations Committee, and the House
Committee on Ways and Means.
SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That:
(a) If the fiscal year 2023 budget includes an appropriation sufficient to provide a
$500 bonus to each noncertificated education support professional in fiscal year 2023, the
In this section, “noncertificated education support professionals” means noncertificated
public school employees designated as part of a bargaining unit under Title 6, Subtitle 5 of
the Education Article.
(b) The Governor shall include in the annual budget bill for fiscal year 2024 an
appropriation sufficient equal to the number of noncertificated education support
professionals, collected in accordance with subsection (c) of this section, multiplied by $500,
in order to provide a $500 bonus to each noncertificated education support professional in
fiscal year 2024.
(b) If the fiscal year 2023 budget does not include an appropriation sufficient to
provide a $500 bonus to each noncertificated education support professional in fiscal year
2023, the Governor shall include in the annual budget bill for fiscal year 2024 an
appropriation sufficient to provide a $1,000 bonus to each noncertificated education support
professional in fiscal year 2024.
(c) The State Department of Education shall:
(1) collect data from each county board of education, including Baltimore
City, on the number of noncertificated education support professionals the county board
employed during the 2021–2022 school year; and
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(2) on or before September 15, 2022, submit a report to the Governor, the
Department of Budget and Management, and the General Assembly, in accordance with §
2–1257 of the State Government Article, on the total number of noncertificated education
support professionals employed by county boards of education during the 2021–2022 school
year.
SECTION 3. 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect
July 1, 2022. Section 1 of this this Act shall remain effective for a period of 1 year and 4
months and, at the end of October 31, 2023, Section 1 of this Act, with no further action
required by the General Assembly, shall be abrogated and of no further force and effect.
Enacted under Article II, § 17(c) of the Maryland Constitution, May 29, 2022.