EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MATTER ADDE D TO EXISTING LAW .
[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
*hb0116*
HOUSE BILL 116
C3, F1, F2 4lr1328
HB 1233/23 – HRU (PRE–FILED) CF SB 84
By: Delegate Kerr
Requested: October 31, 2023
Introduced and read first time: January 10, 2024
Assigned to: Ways and Means and Economic Matters
A BILL ENTITLED
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 Maryland Department of Labor to award a 10
certain amount in a certain fiscal year to a sponsor to develop and launch a teacher 11
apprenticeship program; requiring the CTE Committee to determine whether 12
certain changes to rules, regulations, procedures, or funding of the State Department 13
of Education are necessary to implement the Grant Program; and generally relating 14
to teacher 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 2023 Supplement) 20
Preamble 21
WHEREAS, Apprenticeship is an effective mode of learning academic, employability, 22
and occupational skills for most professions. Apprenticeships widen access to rewarding 23
careers, enhance the productivity of workers, and strengthen the engagement of learners 24
as they apply what they learn in a career–oriented job. Apprenticeships meet the demand 25
by employers for skilled professionals with experience who understand all aspects of an 26
occupation; and 27 2 HOUSE BILL 116
WHEREAS, Apprenticeships in the teaching profession can help meet the demand 1
for teachers in Maryland in ways that encourage diversity and ensure quality. Becoming a 2
K–12 teacher through apprenticeship lowers financial barriers to full certification, thereby 3
attracting qualified individuals from low–income, bilingual, and African American 4
communities. Teacher apprenticeships develop a cohort of individuals qualified to work as 5
teachers and paraeducators in the State. Teacher apprenticeships take full advantage of 6
the enthusiasm of young people who begin their apprenticeships in high school. By the time 7
they become fully qualified, teachers trained through apprenticeship would have 3 to 5 8
years of classroom experience; and 9
WHEREAS, Apprenticeships benefit local education agencies by expanding the 10
availability and mix of teaching talent and by attracting teachers who have ties and 11
commitment to local communities. Another benefit is the ability of local education agencies 12
to tailor the teacher training to best meet the needs of the school system; and 13
WHEREAS, Teacher apprenticeships are already successful in the United Kingdom 14
and Australia and are starting to penetrate U.S. school systems. The U.S. Department of 15
Labor currently recognizes teaching apprenticeship programs of 12 states, including 16
Arkansas, California, Colorado, Michigan, Tennessee, Texas, West Virginia, and Wyoming. 17
The specifications of well–developed functions and competencies for effective teachers are 18
increasingly available and can help a teacher apprenticeship program yield an increased 19
supply of committed and capable pre–K and K–12 teachers; now, therefore, 20
SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 21
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 22
Article – Labor and Employment 23
11–607. 24
(A) (1) IN THIS SECTION THE F OLLOWING WORDS HAVE THE MEANINGS 25
INDICATED. 26
(2) “CTE COMMITTEE” MEANS THE CAREER AND TECHNICAL 27
EDUCATION COMMITTEE ESTABLISHED UNDER § 21–209 OF THE EDUCATION 28
ARTICLE. 29
(3) “GRANT PROGRAM” MEANS THE TEACHER APPRENTICESHIP 30
STARTUP GRANT PROGRAM. 31
(4) “SPONSOR” MEANS AN ORGANIZATIO N THAT DEVELOPS AND 32
IMPLEMENTS A TEACHER APPRENTICESHIP PROGR AM. 33
(B) THERE IS A TEACHER APPRENTICESHIP STARTUP GRANT PROGRAM IN 34
THE DEPARTMENT . 35 HOUSE BILL 116 3
(C) THE PURPOSE OF THE GRANT PROGRAM IS TO: 1
(1) PROVIDE HIGH SCHOOL AND COLLEGE STUDENTS AS WELL AS 2
CAREER CHANGERS OPPO RTUNITIES TO BEGIN A CAREER IN EDUCATION IN 3
MARYLAND; 4
(2) DEVELOP A COHORT OF INDIVIDUAL S QUALIFIED TO WORK AS 5
PARAEDUCATORS AND TEACHERS IN THE STATE; AND 6
(3) ENCOURAGE COUNTY BOA RDS OF EDUCATION TO HIRE 7
APPRENTICES . 8
(D) A SPONSOR PARTICIPATIN G IN A TEACHER APPRE NTICESHIP PROGRAM : 9
(1) SHALL CONSIST OF AT LEAST THREE LOCAL SCHOOL SY STEMS; 10
AND 11
(2) MAY CONSIST OF : 12
(I) UNIONS REPRESENTING SCHOOL SYSTEM EMPLOY EES; 13
(II) ADDITIONAL LOCAL SCH OOL SYSTEMS; AND 14
(III) INDIVIDUAL SCHOOLS . 15
(E) (1) A SPONSOR PARTICIPATIN G IN A TEACHER APPRE NTICESHIP 16
PROGRAM SHALL : 17
(I) ESTABLISH A MULTIYEA R REGISTERED APPRENT ICESHIP 18
THAT DEVELOPS A CARE ER PATH AS FOLLOWS : 19
1. LEVEL ONE IS A TUTOR; 20
2. LEVEL TWO IS A PARAEDUCATOR ; AND 21
3. LEVEL THREE IS A TEACHER ; 22
(II) PARTNER WITH INSTITU TIONS OF HIGHER EDUC ATION TO 23
OFFER POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION CREDITS UN DER A TEACHER APPREN TICESHIP 24
PROGRAM; 25
(III) CONSULT WITH LOCAL S CHOOL SYSTEMS AND UN IONS 26
REPRESENTING SCHOOL EMPLOYEES ON THE D ESIGN OF THE APPRENT ICESHIP; 27
4 HOUSE BILL 116
(IV) IN COORDINATION WITH THE CTE COMMITTEE, DEVELOP A 1
HIGH SCHOOL –LEVEL REGISTERED APP RENTICESHIP; AND 2
(V) COORDINATE WITH EXIS TING GROW–YOUR–OWN 3
PROGRAMS, GRANT–FUNDED EFFORTS , EXISTING CTE PATHWAYS, AND 4
EDUCATORS RISING. 5
(2) AN EMPLOYER IN THE AP PRENTICESHIP PROGRAM SHALL PAY 6
APPRENTICES COMPENSA TION CONSISTENT WITH OTHER EMPLOYERS IN T HE SAME 7
FIELD. 8
(3) (I) NOTHING IN THIS SECTI ON ALTERS THE REQUIR EMENTS 9
FOR TEACHER CERTIFIC ATION. 10
(II) A LEVEL ONE OR LEVEL TWO APPRENTICE MAY NO T SERVE 11
AS A TEACHER OF RECO RD. 12
(III) AN APPRENTICE SHALL C OMPLY WITH THE REQUI REMENTS 13
OF THE LOCAL SCHOOL DISTRICT FOR BACKGRO UND CHECKS, REGARDLESS OF AGE 14
OR BACKGROUND . 15
(4) A HIGH SCHOOL –LEVEL APPRENTICESHIP UNDER A TEACHER 16
APPRENTICESHIP PROGR AM SHALL: 17
(I) ALLOW A STUDENT PART ICIPATING IN THE TEA CHER 18
APPRENTICESHIP TO MA XIMIZE ATTAINMENT IN COLLEGE–LEVEL CREDITS 19
THROUGH: 20
1. ADVANCED PLACEMENT COURSES ; 21
2. AN EARLY COLLEGE PRO GRAM, OR DUAL 22
ENROLLMENT AT A STUDENT’S HIGH SCHOOL OR AN INSTITUTION OF HIGHE R 23
EDUCATION; AND 24
3. A TEACHER CTE PROGRAM; AND 25
(II) ALLOW A STUDENT TO C OMPLETE COURSEWORK A ND 26
TRAINING THROUGH AN INNOVATIVE SCHOOL SC HEDULING MODEL SO TH AT THE 27
STUDENT CAN COMPLETE THE APPRENTI CESHIP’S TUTORING REQUIREME NTS 28
DURING REGULAR SCHOO L HOURS AND OUTSIDE REGULAR SCHOOL HOURS . 29
(F) (1) THE DEPARTMENT SHALL : 30
(I) ADMINISTER THE GRANT PROGRAM; AND 31 HOUSE BILL 116 5
(II) AWARD A GRANT TO A S PONSOR THAT MEETS TH E 1
REQUIREMENTS OF THIS SECTION. 2
(2) TO RECEIVE A GRANT UN DER THE GRANT PROGRAM, A 3
SPONSOR’S APPRENTICESHIP MUS T: 4
(I) MEET THE REQUIREMENT S OF THIS SECTION; 5
(II) HAVE UNION PARTICIPA TION; AND 6
(III) BE APPROVED BY THE MARYLAND APPRENTICESHIP AND 7
TRAINING COUNCIL. 8
(G) THE DEPARTMENT MAY AWARD UP TO $500,000 TO A SPONSOR FOR 9
DEVELOPMENT AND LAUN CH OF A TEACHER APPR ENTICESHIP PROGRAM F ROM 10
STATE OR FEDERAL FUND S. 11
(H) THE CTE COMMITTEE SHALL DETER MINE WHETHER ANY CHA NGES TO 12
THE RULES , REGULATIONS , PROCEDURES , OR FUNDING OF T HE STATE 13
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION ARE NECESSA RY TO IMPLEMENT THE GRANT 14
PROGRAM. 15
SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect July 16
1, 2024. 17