EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MAT TER ADDED TO EXISTIN G LAW.
[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
Underlining indicates amendments to bill.
Strike out indicates matter stricken from the bill by amendment or deleted from the law by
amendment.
*sb0668*
SENATE BILL 668
C3, F1, F2 3lr0832
CF HB 1233
By: Senator Rosapepe
Introduced and read first time: February 6, 2023
Assigned to: Finance
Committee Report: Favorable with amendments
Senate action: Adopted
Read second time: March 11, 2023
CHAPTER ______
AN ACT concerning 1
Teacher Degree Apprenticeship 2
FOR the purpose of establishing the Teacher Apprenticeship Startup Grant Program in the 3
Maryland Department of Labor; requiring a sponsor participating in a teacher 4
apprenticeship program to establish an apprenticeship that develops certain career 5
paths and to pay apprentices certain compensation; requiring a sponsor, in 6
coordination with the Career and Technical Education (CTE) Committee, to develop 7
a high school level apprenticeship; requiring a sponsor to partner with institutions 8
of higher education to offer postsecondary education credits under a teacher 9
apprenticeship program; authorizing the Department to award a certain amount in 10
a certain fiscal year to a sponsor to develop and launch a teacher apprenticeship 11
program; requiring the CTE Committee to determine if certain changes to rules, 12
regulations, procedures, or funding of the State Department of Education are 13
necessary to implement the Grant Program; and generally relating to teacher 14
apprenticeships in the State. 15
BY adding to 16
Article – Labor and Employment 17
Section 11–607 18
Annotated Code of Maryland 19
(2016 Replacement Volume and 2022 Supplement) 20
Preamble 21
WHEREAS, Apprenticeship is an effective mode of learning academic, employability, 22 2 SENATE BILL 668
and occupational skills for most professions. Apprenticeships widen access to rewarding 1
careers, enhance the productivity of workers, and strengthen the engagement of learners 2
as they apply what they learn in a career–oriented job. Apprenticeships meet the demand 3
by employers for skilled professionals with experience who understand all aspects of an 4
occupation; and 5
WHEREAS, Apprenticeships in the teaching profession can help meet the demand 6
for teachers in Maryland in ways that encourage diversity and ensure quality. Becoming a 7
K–12 teacher through apprenticeship lowers financial barriers to full certification, thereby 8
attracting qualified individuals from low–income, bilingual, and African American 9
communities. Teacher apprenticeships increase substantially the time prospective teachers 10
apply what they learn in classroom settings develop a cohort of individuals qualified to 11
work as teachers and paraeducators in the State. Teacher apprenticeships take full 12
advantage of the enthusiasm of young people who begin their apprenticeships in high 13
school. By the time they become fully qualified, teachers trained through apprenticeship 14
would have 3 to 5 years of classroom experience; and 15
WHEREAS, Apprenticeships benefit local education agencies by expanding the 16
availability and mix of teaching talent and by attracting teachers who have ties and 17
commitment to local communities. Another benefit is the ability of local education agencies 18
to tailor the teacher training to best meet the needs of the school system; and 19
WHEREAS, Teacher apprenticeships are already successful in the United Kingdom 20
and Australia and are starting to penetrate U.S. school systems. The U.S. Department of 21
Labor currently recognizes teaching apprenticeship programs of 12 states, including 22
Arkansas, California, Colorado, Michigan, Tennessee, Texas, West Virginia, and Wyoming. 23
The specifications of well–developed functions and competencies for effective teachers are 24
increasingly available and can help a teacher apprenticeship program yield an increased 25
supply of committed and capable pre–K and K–12 teachers; now, therefore, 26
SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY TH E GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 27
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 28
Article – Labor and Employment 29
11–607. 30
(A) (1) IN THIS SECTION THE F OLLOWING WORDS HAVE THE MEANINGS 31
INDICATED. 32
(2) “CTE COMMITTEE” MEANS THE CAREER AND TECHNICAL 33
EDUCATION COMMITTEE ESTABLISHED UNDER § 21–209 OF THE EDUCATION 34
ARTICLE. 35
(3) “GRANT PROGRAM” MEANS THE TEACHER APPRENTICESHIP 36
STARTUP GRANT PROGRAM. 37 SENATE BILL 668 3
(4) “SPONSOR” MEANS AN ORGANIZATIO N THAT DEVELOPS AND 1
IMPLEMENTS A TEACHER APPRENTICESHIP PROGR AM. 2
(B) THERE IS A TEACHER APPRENTICESHIP STARTUP GRANT PROGRAM IN 3
THE DEPARTMENT . 4
(C) THE PURPOSE OF THE GRANT PROGRAM IS TO: 5
(1) PROVIDE HIGH SCHOOL AND COLLEGE STUDENTS AS WELL AS 6
CAREER CHANGERS OPPO RTUNITIES TO BEGIN A CAREER IN EDUCATION IN 7
MARYLAND; 8
(2) DEVELOP A COHORT OF INDIVIDUALS QUALIFIE D TO WORK AS 9
PARAEDUCATORS AND TEACHERS IN THE STATE; AND 10
(3) ENCOURAGE COUNTY BOA RDS OF EDUCATION TO HIRE 11
APPRENTICES . 12
(D) A SPONSOR PARTICIPATIN G IN A TEACHER APPRE NTICESHIP PROGRAM : 13
(1) SHALL CONSIST OF : 14
(I) AT LEAST ONE UNION R EPRESENTING SCHOOL E MPLOYEES; 15
AND 16
(II) (1) AT SHALL CONSIST OF AT LEAST THREE LOCAL 17
SCHOOL SYSTEMS ; AND 18
(2) MAY CONSIST OF : 19
(I) OTHER UNIONS REPRESENTING SCHOOL SYSTEM 20
EMPLOYEES; 21
(II) ADDITIONAL LOCAL SCH OOL SYSTEMS; AND 22
(III) INDIVIDUAL SCHOOLS . 23
(E) (1) A SPONSOR PARTICIPATIN G IN A TEACHER APPRE NTICESHIP 24
PROGRAM SHALL : 25
(I) ESTABLISH A MULTIYEA R REGISTERED APPRENT ICESHIP 26
THAT DEVELOPS A CARE ER PATH AS FOLLOWS : 27
1. LEVEL ONE IS A TUTOR; 28 4 SENATE BILL 668
2. LEVEL TWO IS A PARAEDUCATOR ; AND 1
3. LEVEL THREE IS A TEACHER ; 2
(II) PARTNER WITH INSTITU TIONS OF HIGHER EDUC ATION TO 3
OFFER POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION CREDITS UN DER A TEACHER APPREN TICESHIP 4
PROGRAM; 5
(III) CONSULT WITH LOCAL S CHOOL SYSTEMS AND UN IONS 6
REPRESENTING SCHOOL EMPLOYEES ON THE DES IGN OF THE APPRENTIC ESHIP; 7
AND 8
(IV) IN COORDINATION WITH THE CTE COMMITTEE, DEVELOP A 9
HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL RE GISTERED APPRENTICES HIP; AND 10
(V) COORDINATE WITH EXIS TING GROW–YOUR–OWN 11
PROGRAMS, GRANT–FUNDED EFFORTS , EXISTING CTE PATHWAYS, AND 12
EDUCATORS RISING. 13
(2) AN EMPLOYER IN THE AP PRENTICESHIP PROGRAM SHALL PAY 14
APPRENTICES COMPENSA TION CONSISTENT WITH OTHER EMPLOYERS IN T HE SAME 15
FIELD. 16
(3) (I) NOTHING IN THIS SECTION ALTERS THE R EQUIREMENTS 17
FOR TEACHER CERTIFIC ATION. 18
(II) A LEVEL ONE OR LEVEL TWO APPRENTICE MAY NO T SERVE 19
AS A TEACHER OF RECO RD. 20
(III) AN APPRENTICE SHALL C OMPLY WITH THE REQUI REMENTS 21
OF THE LOCAL SCHOOL DISTRICT FOR BACKGRO UND CHECKS, REGARDLESS OF AGE 22
OR BACKGROUND . 23
(4) A HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL AP PRENTICESHIP UNDER A TEACHER 24
APPRENTICESHIP PROGR AM SHALL: 25
(I) ALLOW A STUDENT PART ICIPATING IN THE TEA CHER 26
APPRENTICESHIP TO MA XIMIZE ATTAINMENT IN COLLEGE LEVEL CREDIT S 27
THROUGH: 28
1. ADVANCED PLACEMENT COURSES ; 29
SENATE BILL 668 5
2. AN EARLY COLLEGE PRO GRAM, OR DUAL 1
ENROLLMENT AT A STUD ENT’S HIGH SCHOOL OR AN INSTITUTION OF HIGHE R 2
EDUCATION; AND 3
3. A TEACHER CTE PROGRAM; AND 4
(II) ALLOW A STUDENT TO C OMPLETE COURSEWORK A ND 5
TRAINING THROUGH AN INNOVATIVE SCHOOL SCHEDULING MODEL SO THAT THE 6
STUDENT CAN COMPLETE THE APPRENTICESHIP ’S TUTORING REQUIREME NTS 7
DURING REGULAR SCHOO L HOURS AND OUTSIDE REGULAR SCHOOL HOURS . 8
(F) (1) THE DEPARTMENT SHALL : 9
(I) ADMINISTER THE GRANT PROGRAM; AND 10
(II) AWARD A GRANT TO A S PONSOR THAT MEETS TH E 11
REQUIREMENTS OF THIS SECTION. 12
(2) TO RECEIVE A GRANT UN DER THE GRANT PROGRAM, A 13
SPONSOR’S APPRENTICESHIP SHA LL: 14
(I) MEET THE REQUIREMENT S OF THIS SECTION; 15
(II) HAVE UNION PARTICIPA TION; AND 16
(III) BE APPROVED BY THE MARYLAND APPRENTICESHIP AND 17
TRAINING COUNCIL. 18
(G) FOR FISCAL YEAR 2025, THE THE DEPARTMENT MAY AWARD UP TO 19
$500,000 TO A SPONSOR FOR DEV ELOPMENT AND LAUNCH OF A TEACHER 20
APPRENTICESHIP PROGR AM FROM STATE OR FEDERAL FUND S. 21
(H) THE CTE COMMITTEE SHALL DETER MINE IF ANY CHANGES TO THE 22
RULES, REGULATIONS , PROCEDURES , OR FUNDING OF THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF 23
EDUCATION ARE NECESSA RY TO IMPLEMENT THE GRANT PROGRAM. 24
SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect July 25
1, 2023. 26