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.
*hb0986*
HOUSE BILL 986
F1 5lr1350
By: Delegates Ebersole, Guyton, Kaufman, Miller, Palakovich Carr, Pasteur,
Patterson, White Holland, Williams, and Young Young, Fair, Vogel, Wells,
Wilkins, Wims, and Wu
Introduced and read first time: January 31, 2025
Assigned to: Ways and Means
Committee Report: Favorable with amendments
House action: Adopted
Read second time: March 4, 2025
CHAPTER ______
AN ACT concerning 1
Primary and Secondary Education – New Teachers – Retention Program 2
FOR the purpose of requiring each county board of education to establish a new teacher 3
retention program; altering the content required to be included in certain teacher 4
support and retention guidelines developed by the State Board of Education; and 5
generally relating to teacher retention and support programs, guidelines, and 6
training. 7
BY adding to 8
Article – Education 9
Section 4–147 10
Annotated Code of Maryland 11
(2022 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 12
BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 13
Article – Education 14
Section 6–119 15
Annotated Code of Maryland 16
(2022 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 17
BY repealing and reenacting, without amendments, 18
Article – Education 19
Section 6–128 20 2 HOUSE BILL 986
Annotated Code of Maryland 1
(2022 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 2
SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 3
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 4
Article – Education 5
4–147. 6
(A) IN THIS SECTION, “NEW TEACHER ” MEANS A TEACHER WHO HAS TAUGHT 7
FOR LESS THAN 2 3 COMPLETE SCHOOL YEAR S. 8
(B) (1) EACH COUNTY BOARD SHA LL ESTABLISH A NEW T EACHER 9
RETENTION PROGRAM . 10
(2) THE PURPOSE OF A NEW TEACHER RETENTION PR OGRAM IS TO 11
PROVIDE SUPPORT TO N EW TEACHERS TO ENSURE T HAT NEW TEACHERS CON TINUE 12
TO BE MOTIVATED AND RETAIN THEIR PASSION TO TEACH. 13
(C) A NEW TEACHER RETENTIO N PROGRAM ESTABLISHE D UNDER 14
SUBSECTION (B) OF THIS SECTION SHAL L: 15
(1) PROVIDE NEW TEACHERS IN THE COUNTY WITH R EGULAR 16
COHORT–BASED OPPORTUNITIES TO SHARE EXPERIENCES AN D LESSONS LEARNED 17
ON THE JOB; 18
(2) ASSIGN AN EXPERIENCED TEACHER TO EACH NEW TEACHER 19
COHORT TO PROVIDE OV ERSIGHT AND GUIDANCE FOR THE COHORT ; 20
(3) ASSIGN EACH NEW TEACH ER TO A HIGHLY COMPETENT TEACHER 21
MENTOR IN THE COUNTY , WHO COULD BE A RETIR ED TEACHER , TO PROVIDE 22
SUPPORT AND INFORMAT ION AT THE SCHOOL OF THE NEW TEACHER ; 23
(4) SURVEY NEW TEACHERS O N THEIR TEACHING CHA LLENGES AND 24
SCHOOL CLIMATE ; 25
(5) PROVIDE PRINCIPALS WI TH THE RESOURCES AND SUPPORT 26
NEEDED TO HELP NEW TEACHERS IN THEIR SCHOOLS SUCCEE D IN THEIR FIRST 27
YEARS OF TEACHING AN D REMAIN TEACHING AT THEIR SCHOOLS ; AND 28
(6) INCORPORATE THE GUIDE LINES DEVELOPED BY T HE STATE 29
BOARD UNDER § 6–119 OF THIS ARTICLE. 30
HOUSE BILL 986 3
(D) IN ESTABLISHING A PRO GRAM UNDER THIS S ECTION, A COUNTY BOARD 1
SHALL PRIORITIZE ADD RESSING ISSUES FACED BY NEW TEACHERS : 2
(1) FROM A DIVERSE BACKGR OUND; AND 3
(2) IN SCHOOLS OR TEACHIN G SUBJECT AREAS WITH HIGH RATES OF 4
TEACHER TURNOVER . 5
(E) (1) A COUNTY BOARD SHALL COMPENSATE PROVIDE SUPPLEMENTAL 6
COMPENSATION TO A PUBLIC SCHOOL EMPL OYEE WHO OVERSEES A NEW TEACHER 7
COHORT OR SERVES AS A TEACHER MENTOR IN ACCORDANCE WITH A TE ACHER 8
RETENTION PROGRAM TH ROUGH ADDITIONAL PAY OR PAID LEAVE PLANNING TIME . 9
(2) TO THE EXTENT PRACTIC ABLE, A COUNTY BOARD SHALL PROV IDE 10
SUPPLEMENTAL COMPENSATION TO A RE TIRED TEACHER WHO SE RVES AS A 11
TEACHER MENTOR IN AC CORDANCE WITH A TEAC HER RETENTION PROGRA M. 12
6–119. 13
(a) The State Board shall develop guidelines for [an incentive program to 14
encourage] public school systems to: 15
(1) Adopt a teacher support system that provides year–long assistance and 16
support to teachers [through a teacher consulting program in which consulting teachers 17
are fully trained and apply rigorous teaching standards]; and 18
(2) Improve teacher retention during the first 5 years of service. 19
(b) In developing the guidelines under subsection (a) of this section, the State 20
Board shall [conduct]: 21
(1) INCORPORATE RESEARCH ON SUCCESSFUL APPROA CHES TO 22
RETAINING NEW TEACHE RS AND KEEPING NEW TEACHERS MOTIVATED ; 23
(2) ANALYZE THE INFORMATI ON PROVIDED BY THE MARYLAND 24
EDUCATOR RECRUITMENT , RETENTION, AND DIVERSITY DASHBOARD UNDER § 25
6–128 OF THIS SUBTITLE TO DEVELOP STRATEGIES T O SUPPORT THE MOST 26
VULNERABLE TEACHERS ; 27
(3) EXAMINE ISSUES FACED BY TEACHERS FROM A D IVERSE 28
BACKGROUND AND THE P OLICIES NECESSARY TO PRESERVE A TEACHING 29
WORKFORCE THAT REFLE CTS THE DIVERSITY OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOL ST UDENTS IN 30
THE STATE; 31
4 HOUSE BILL 986
(4) ADDRESS THE UNIQUE NE EDS OF TEACHERS IN S CHOOLS OR WHO 1
TEACH SUBJECTS WITH HIGH RATES OF TEACHER T URNOVER; AND 2
(5) CONDUCT an assessment of the advisability and feasibility of 3
providing [competitive grants] SUPPORT to county boards, INCLUDING THROUGH 4
COMPETITIVE GRANTS , PROFESSIONAL DEVELOP MENT, AND SUSTAINED 5
PROGRAMMATIC SUPPORT , to assist in the development and implementation of a teacher 6
support [incentive] program. 7
(c) It is the intent of the General Assembly that, if money becomes available, the 8
Governor include an appropriation in the State budget for grants for teacher support 9
[incentive] programs established in accordance with the guidelines developed under this 10
section. 11
6–128. 12
(a) (1) On or before January 1, 2025, the Department shall establish and 13
maintain a Maryland Educator Recruitment, Retention, and Diversity Dashboard. 14
(2) Subject to paragraph (3) of this subsection, the Dashboard shall include 15
demographic information and key data points regarding: 16
(i) Certificated and noncertificated personnel in public schools; and 17
(ii) Prospective educators within teacher preparation programs 18
throughout the State who are participating in teacher internships. 19
(3) (i) The Dashboard may not include any demographic information 20
that could be used to identify specific individuals. 21
(ii) Any demographic that is less than 5% of the relevant population 22
may be reported simply as “< 5%”. 23
(b) (1) On or before December 1, 2024, and each December 1 thereafter, each 24
county board shall report to the Department demographic and job status information on 25
educators employed by, and teacher interns placed in, the public schools within the 26
jurisdiction of the county board during the previous school year. 27
(2) Each county board shall report the information required under 28
paragraph (1) of this subsection disaggregated by: 29
(i) School; 30
(ii) Gender; 31
(iii) Race; 32 HOUSE BILL 986 5
(iv) Ethnicity; 1
(v) Average length of service; 2
(vi) Status on the career ladder established under § 6–1002 of this 3
title; 4
(vii) Number of educators hired during the reporting period; and 5
(viii) Attrition rates of educators during the reporting period. 6
SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That, on or before July 1, 2026, the 7
State Board of Education shall update the teacher support and retention guidelines 8
required under § 6–119 of the Education Article as enacted under Section 1 of this Act. 9
SECTION 3. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect July 10
1, 2025. 11
Approved:
________________________________________________________________________________
Governor.
________________________________________________________________________________
Speaker of the House of Delegates.
________________________________________________________________________________
President of the Senate.