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Underlining indicates amendments to bill.
Strike out indicates matter stricken from the bill by amendment or deleted from the law by
amendment.
*hb1287*
HOUSE BILL 1287
F1, F2 4lr0598
By: The Speaker and Delegates Atterbeary and Wilkins
Introduced and read first time: February 9, 2024
Assigned to: Ways and Means
Committee Report: Favorable with amendments
House action: Adopted
Read second time: March 8, 2024
CHAPTER ______
AN ACT concerning 1
State and County Superintendents of Schools – Employment Contracts – School 2
Leadership Course or Program 3
School Leadership Training Program – Alterations 4
FOR the purpose of requiring, beginning on a certain date, that an employment contract 5
for the State Superintendent of Schools, a county superintendent of schools, or the 6
Chief Executive Officer of the Baltimore City Board of School Commissioners include 7
a provision requiring the completion of a certain school leadership course or program 8
during a certain period of time; requiring a public institution of higher education 9
that offers a certain school leadership course or program in which the State 10
Superintendent, a county superintendent, or the Chief Executive Officer enrolls to 11
offer the enrollee the option to participate in a virtual format; and generally relating 12
to a school leadership course or program for the State Superintendent of Schools, 13
county superintendents of schools, and the Chief Executive Officer of the Baltimore 14
City Board of School Commissioners altering the school leadership training program 15
developed by the State Department of Education and the Accountability and 16
Implementation Board to require that certain individuals complete the training at 17
least once; combining two leadership trainings into a single training; providing for 18
the content of the school leadership training; and generally relating to the school 19
leadership training program. 20
BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 21
Article – Education 22
Section 2–302, 4–201, 4–201.1, and 4–304 6–124 23
Annotated Code of Maryland 24 2 HOUSE BILL 1287
(2022 Replacement Volume and 2023 Supplement) 1
SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 2
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 3
Article – Education 4
2–302. 5
(a) The State Superintendent shall be appointed by the State Board for a term of 6
4 years beginning on July 1 after the Superintendent’s appointment and serves until a 7
successor is appointed and qualifies. 8
(b) The State Board shall fix the STATE Superintendent’s salary and pay it from 9
the appropriation for the expenses and maintenance of the Department. 10
(c) (1) BEGINNING JULY 1, 2024, A CONTRACT OF EMPLOY MENT 11
EXECUTED BETWEEN A STATE SUPERINTENDENT AND TH E STATE BOARD FOR THE 12
STATE SUPERINTENDENT ’S INITIAL TERM OF OF FICE SHALL INCLUDE A PROVISION 13
THAT REQUIRES THE STATE SUPERINTENDENT TO COM PLETE, DURING THE TERM 14
OF THE CONTRACT, A SCHOOL LEADERSHIP COURSE OR PROGRAM : 15
(I) OFFERED BY A PUBLIC I NSTITUTION OF HIGHER 16
EDUCATION IN THE STATE; OR 17
(II) ESTABLISHED UNDER § 6–124 OF THIS ARTICLE. 18
(2) A PUBLIC INSTITUTION O F HIGHER EDUCATION T HAT OFFERS A 19
SCHOOL LEADERSHI P COURSE OR PROGRAM IN WHICH THE STATE 20
SUPERINTENDENT ENROLL S SHALL OFFER THE STATE SUPERINTENDENT THE 21
OPTION TO PARTICIPAT E IN A VIRTUAL FORMA T. 22
(D) The State Superintendent shall: 23
(1) Be an experienced and competent educator; 24
(2) Be a graduate of an accredited college or university; 25
(3) Have at least 2 years of special academic and professional graduate 26
preparation in an accredited college or university; and 27
(4) Have at least 7 years of experience in teaching and administration. 28
[(d)] (E) (1) The State Board may remove the State Superintendent for: 29
(i) Immorality; 30 HOUSE BILL 1287 3
(ii) Misconduct in office; 1
(iii) Insubordination; 2
(iv) Incompetency; or 3
(v) Willful neglect of duty. 4
(2) Before removing the State Superintendent, the State Board shall send 5
the Superintendent a copy of the charges against the Superintendent and give the 6
Superintendent an opportunity within 10 days to request a hearing. 7
(3) If the State Superintendent requests a hearing within the 10–day 8
period: 9
(i) The State Board promptly shall hold a hearing, but a hearing 10
may not be set within 10 days after the State Board sends the State Superintendent a notice 11
of the hearing; and 12
(ii) The State Superintendent shall have an opportunity to be heard 13
publicly before the State Board in the Superintendent’s own defense, in person or by 14
counsel. 15
[(e)] (F) The State Board shall appoint a new State Superintendent to fill a 16
vacancy in that office for the remainder of the unexpired term. 17
4–201. 18
(a) (1) This section does not apply to Baltimore City. 19
(2) Subsections (b), (c), (d), and (f) of this section do not apply in Prince 20
George’s County. 21
(b) (1) The term of a county superintendent is 4 years beginning on July 1. A 22
county superintendent continues to serve until a successor is appointed and qualifies. 23
(2) By February 1 of the year in which a term ends, the county 24
superintendent shall notify the county board whether the superintendent is a candidate for 25
reappointment. 26
(3) In the year in which a term begins, the county board shall appoint a 27
county superintendent between February 1 and June 30. However, if the county board 28
decides to reappoint the incumbent superintendent, the county board shall take final action 29
at a public meeting no later than March 1 of that year. 30
4 HOUSE BILL 1287
(4) If a county board is unable to appoint a county superintendent by July 1
1 of a year in which a term begins, the provisions of subsection (d) of this section apply. 2
(c) (1) An individual may not be appointed as county superintendent unless 3
the individual: 4
(i) Is eligible to be issued a certificate for the office by the State 5
Superintendent; 6
(ii) Has graduated from an accredited college or university; and 7
(iii) Has completed 2 years of graduate work at an accredited college 8
or university, including public school administration, supervision, and methods of teaching. 9
(2) (I) BEGINNING JULY 1, 2024, AN EMPLOYMENT CONTRA CT 10
EXECUTED BETWEEN A C OUNTY SUPERINTENDENT AND A COUNTY BOARD F OR THE 11
COUNTY SUPERINTENDEN T’S INITIAL TERM OF OFFICE SHALL INCL UDE A 12
PROVISION THAT REQUI RES THE COUNTY SUPER INTENDENT TO COMPLET E, DURING 13
THE TERM OF THE CONT RACT, A SCHOOL LEADERSHIP COURSE OR PROGRAM : 14
1. OFFERED BY A PUBLIC I NSTITUTION OF HIGHER 15
EDUCATION IN THE STATE; OR 16
2. ESTABLISHED UNDER § 6–124 OF THIS ARTICLE. 17
(II) A PUBLIC INSTITUTION O F HIGHER EDUCATION T HAT 18
OFFERS A SCHOOL LEAD ERSHIP COURSE OR PRO GRAM IN WHICH A COUN TY 19
SUPERINTENDENT ENROL LS SHALL OFFER THE C OUNTY SUPERINTENDENT THE 20
OPTION TO PARTICIPAT E IN A VIRTUAL FORM AT. 21
[(2)] (3) The appointment of a county superintendent is not valid unless 22
approved in writing by the State Superintendent. 23
[(3)] (4) If the State Superintendent disapproves an appointment, the 24
State Superintendent shall give the reasons for disapproval in writing to the county board. 25
(d) If a vacancy occurs in the office of county superintendent, the county board 26
shall appoint an interim county superintendent who serves until July 1 after the interim 27
county superintendent’s appointment. 28
(e) (1) Subject to the provisions of this subsection, the State Superintendent 29
or a county board may remove a county superintendent for: 30
(i) Immorality; 31
(ii) Misconduct in office; 32 HOUSE BILL 1287 5
(iii) Insubordination; 1
(iv) Incompetency; or 2
(v) Willful neglect of duty. 3
(2) (i) The State Superintendent may remove a county superintendent 4
under this subsection if the State Superintendent provides the county superintendent with: 5
1. The reason for removal, chosen from one or more of the 6
items in paragraph (1) of this subsection; 7
2. Documentation supporting the case for removal; and 8
3. The opportunity to request a hearing within 10 days before 9
the State Superintendent in accordance with this subsection. 10
(ii) The county superintendent may appeal the decision of the State 11
Superintendent to the State Board. 12
(3) If the county superintendent requests a hearing before the State 13
Superintendent within the 10–day period: 14
(i) The State Superintendent promptly shall hold a hearing, but a 15
hearing may not be set within 10 days after the State Superintendent sends the county 16
superintendent a notice of the hearing; and 17
(ii) The county superintendent shall have an opportunity to be heard 18
publicly before the State Superintendent in the county superintendent’s own defense, in 19
person or by counsel. 20
(4) (i) A county board may remove a county superintendent under this 21
subsection if the county board provides the county superintendent with: 22
1. The reason for removal, chosen from one or more of the 23
items in paragraph (1) of this subsection; 24
2. Documentation supporting the case for removal; and 25
3. The opportunity to request a hearing within 10 days before 26
the county board in accordance with this subsection. 27
(ii) The county superintendent may appeal the decision of the county 28
board to the State Board. 29
6 HOUSE BILL 1287
(f) On notification of pending criminal charges against a county superintendent 1
as provided under § 4–206 of this subtitle, the county board may suspend the county 2
superintendent with pay until the final disposition of the criminal charges. 3
4–201.1. 4
(a) This section applies only in Prince George’s County. 5
(b) Subject to the provisions of subsection (e) of this section, the County 6
Superintendent of the Prince George’s County public school system shall be: 7
(1) Selected by the County Executive in accordance with subsection (c) of 8
this section; and 9
(2) Appointed by the county board after agreement on contract terms 10
negotiated by the chair of the county board. 11
(c) (1) The County Executive shall select a County Superintendent from a list 12
of three nominees recommended by a search committee that is comprised of: 13
(i) One member of the State Board, appointed by the State 14
Superintendent; and 15
(ii) Two residents of Prince George’s County, appointed by the 16
Governor. 17
(2) The search committee shall be chaired by a member selected by the 18
State Superintendent. 19
(d) (1) The term of the County Superintendent is 4 years beginning on July 1. 20
(2) The County Superintendent continues to serve until a successor is 21
appointed and qualifies. 22
(3) By February 1 of the year in which a term ends, the County 23
Superintendent shall notify the County Executive and the county board if the County 24
Superintendent is a candidate for reappointment. 25
(4) (i) In the year a term begins, the County Executive shall select a 26
County Superintendent between February 1 and June 1, and the county board shall 27
complete the appointment on or before June 30. 28
(ii) If the County Executive decides to select the incumbent County 29
Superintendent, the county board shall complete the reappointment no later than March 1 30
of that year. 31
HOUSE BILL 1287 7
(5) If the county board is unable to appoint a County Superintendent by 1
July 1 of the year a term begins, the provisions of subsection [(f)] (G) of this section apply. 2
(e) (1) An individual may not be appointed as County Superintendent unless 3
the individual: 4
(i) Is eligible to be issued a certificate for the office by the State 5
Superintendent; 6
(ii) Has graduated from an accredited college or university; and 7
(iii) Has completed 2 years of graduate work at an accredited college 8
or university, including public school administration, supervision, and methods of teaching. 9
(2) The appointment of the County Superintendent is not valid unless 10
approved in writing by the State Superintendent. 11
(3) If the State Superintendent disapproves an appointment, the State 12
Superintendent shall give the reasons for disapproval in writing to the county board and 13
the County Executive. 14
(F) (1) BEGINNING JULY 1, 2024, A CONTRACT OF EMPLOY MENT 15
EXECUTED BETWEEN THE COUNTY SUPERINTENDENT AND TH E COUNTY BOARD FOR 16
THE COUNTY SUPERINTENDENT ’S INITIAL TERM OF OF FICE SHALL INCLUDE A 17
PROVISION THAT REQUI RES THE COUNTY SUPERINTENDENT TO COMPLETE , 18
DURING THE TERM OF T HE CONTRACT , A SCHOOL LEADERSHIP COURSE OR 19
PROGRAM: 20
(I) OFFERED BY A PUBLIC I NSTITUTION OF HIGHER 21
EDUCATION IN THE STATE; OR 22
(II) ESTABLISHED UNDER § 6–124 OF THIS ARTICLE. 23
(2) A PUBLIC INSTITUTION O F HIGHER EDUC ATION THAT OFFERS A 24
SCHOOL LEADERSHIP CO URSE OR PROGRAM IN W HICH THE COUNTY 25
SUPERINTENDENT ENROLL S SHALL OFFER THE COUNTY SUPERINTENDENT THE 26
OPTION TO PARTICIPAT E IN A VIRTUAL FORMA T. 27
[(f)] (G) If a vacancy occurs in the office of County Superintendent, the County 28
Executive shall select and the county board shall appoint an interim County 29
Superintendent to serve until July 1 after the appointment. 30
[(g)] (H) On notification of pending criminal charges against the County 31
Superintendent as provided under § 4–206 of this subtitle, the county board may suspend 32
the County Superintendent with pay until the final disposition of the criminal charges. 33
8 HOUSE BILL 1287
4–304. 1
(a) There is a Chief Executive Officer of the board. 2
(b) The Chief Executive Officer shall: 3
(1) Be responsible for the overall administration of the Baltimore City 4
Public School System; 5
(2) Report directly to the board; 6
(3) Be a member of the cabinet of the Mayor; and 7
(4) Designate individuals with primary responsibility for each of the 8
following functions: 9
(i) Management and administration of the Baltimore City Public 10
School System; 11
(ii) Assessment and accountability of the academic performance of 12
the students in the Baltimore City Public School System; 13
(iii) Provision of services to students with disabilities in accordance 14
with federal and State law; 15
(iv) Development and implementation of initiatives for educational 16
reform; and 17
(v) Professional hiring and development. 18
(c) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (b)(4) of this section, the Chief 19
Executive Officer and the board shall be held accountable for the delegated functions. 20
(d) The board shall employ the Chief Executive Officer and establish the salary 21
of the Chief Executive Officer at an amount commensurate with the credentials, experience, 22
and prior positions of responsibility of the Chief Executive Officer. 23
(e) (1) The employment contract of the Chief Executive Officer shall provide, 24
at a minimum, that continued employment is contingent on demonstrable improvement in 25
the academic performance of the students in the Baltimore City Public School System and 26
the successful management of the Baltimore City public schools. 27
(2) (I) BEGINNING JULY 1, 2024, AN EMPLOYMENT CONTRA CT 28
EXECUTED BETWEEN THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER AND THE BOARD FOR THE 29
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER’S INITIAL TERM OF OF FICE SHALL INCLUDE A 30
PROVISION THAT REQUI RES THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER TO COMPLETE , 31 HOUSE BILL 1287 9
DURING THE TERM OF T HE CONTRACT , A SCHOOL LEADERSHIP COURSE OR 1
PROGRAM: 2
1. OFFERED BY A PUBLIC INSTITUTION O F HIGHER 3
EDUCATION IN THE STATE; OR 4
2. ESTABLISHED UNDER § 6–124 OF THIS ARTICLE. 5
(II) A PUBLIC INSTITUTION O F HIGHER EDUCATION T HAT 6
OFFERS A SCHOOL LEAD ERSHIP COURSE OR PRO GRAM IN WHICH THE CHIEF 7
EXECUTIVE OFFICER ENROLLS SHA LL OFFER THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER THE 8
OPTION TO PARTICIPAT E IN A VIRTUAL FORMA T. 9
(f) The initial contract and any renewal may not exceed 4 years. 10
6–124. 11
(a) (1) The Department shall establish, in collaboration with the 12
Accountability and Implementation Board established under § 5–402 of this article, 13
[separate] A school leadership training [programs] PROGRAM for[: 14
(1) The] THE State Superintendent, [local school] COUNTY 15
superintendents, [and] senior instruction–related staff[; and 16
(2) Members], MEMBERS OF THE ACCOUNTABILITY AND 17
IMPLEMENTATION BOARD, MEMBERS of the State Board, members of county boards, 18
and school principals. 19
(2) AN INDIVIDUAL LISTED UNDER PARAGRAPH (1) OF THIS 20
SUBSECTION SHALL COM PLETE THE SCHOOL LEA DERSHIP TRAINING PRO GRAM AT 21
LEAST ONCE. 22
(b) [Both programs] THE SCHOOL LEADERSHIP TRAINING PROGRAM shall: 23
(1) Be: 24
(i) For a duration of 12 to 24 months; 25
(ii) Cohort–based to encourage collaboration and shared learning, 26
INCLUDING THROUGH RE GIONAL GATHERINGS OF EDUCATION LEADERS AN D 27
OTHER MEETINGS WHEN APPROPRIATE ; 28
(iii) [Job–embedded] TO THE EXTENT PRACTIC ABLE, 29
JOB–EMBEDDED to allow for application of knowledge and techniques; 30
10 HOUSE BILL 1287
(iv) Tailored to program participants using self–diagnostics and 1
school–level diagnostics; [and] 2
(v) Evidence–based in accordance with the guidelines for the federal 3
Every Student Succeeds Act; and 4
(VI) PROVIDED THROUGH BOTH IN–PERSON AND VIRTUAL 5
SESSIONS; AND 6
(2) Include training on the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, as defined in 7
§ 5–401 of this article. 8
(c) [A] THE SCHOOL LEADERSHIP TRAINING program [for school 9
superintendents and senior, instruction–related staff] shall include: 10
(1) A review of education in the United States relative to countries with top 11
performing education systems and the implications of high performance for students, the 12
economic security of the United States, and quality of life; 13
(2) A model for strategic thinking that will assist education leaders to 14
transform districts AND REDESIGN SCHOOLS under their leadership; 15
(3) Training to provide a working knowledge of research on how students 16
learn and the implications for instructional redesign, curriculum plans, and professional 17
learning; 18
(4) A research–based model for coaching school leaders AND 19
INSTRUCTIONAL COACHE S; [and] 20
(5) A REVIEW OF RESEARCH R EGARDING: 21
(I) THE BENEFITS TO STUDE NTS FROM ACCESS TO 22
HIGH–QUALITY AND DIVERSE TEACHERS; 23
(II) METHODS TO ATTRACT HI GHLY QUALIFIED TEACH ERS 24
FROM DIVERSE BACKGRO UNDS WHO REFLECT THE DEMOGRAPHICS OF THE 25
STUDENTS THEY TEACH ; AND 26
(III) BEST PRACTICES FOR TE ACHER RETENTION , INCLUDING 27
RETENTION OF TEACHER S FROM DIVERSE BACKG ROUNDS; 28
[(5)] (6) Lessons in transformational leadership[.]; 29
[(d) A program for board of education members and school principals shall include: 30
HOUSE BILL 1287 11
(1)] (7) A method for organizing schools to achieve high performance, 1
including: 2
(i) Building instructional leadership teams; 3
(ii) Implementing career ladders for teachers; 4
(iii) Overseeing teacher induction and mentoring systems; and 5
(iv) Identifying, recruiting, and retaining high–quality AND 6
DIVERSE school leaders; 7
[(2) A model for strategic thinking that will assist school leaders in driving 8
redesign efforts in their schools; 9
(3)] (8) Training to provide a deep understanding of standards–aligned 10
instructional systems; 11
[(4) Training to provide a working knowledge of the research on how 12
students learn and the implications of this research for instructional redesign, curriculum, 13
and professional learning; 14
(5) A research–based model for instructional coaching; 15
(6)] (9) An overview of ethical leadership directly tied to the [school] 16
EDUCATIONAL leaders’ responsibility to drive equitable learning in their schools; and 17
(10) A REVIEW OF RESEARCH R EGARDING METHODS TO ATTRACT AND 18
RETAIN AN INCLUSIVE WORKFORCE . 19
[(7) Lessons in transformational leadership.] 20
SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect June 21
1, 2024. 22
Approved:
________________________________________________________________________________
Governor.
________________________________________________________________________________
Speaker of the House of Delegates.
________________________________________________________________________________
President of the Senate.