What Maryland lawmakers changed about child care, schools and colleges

 In the Baltimore Banner, story by reporters Maya Lora, Kristen Griffith, and Ellie Wolfe. To read the full story go here.

The Maryland Legislative session has just ended and the Baltimore Banner has a recap of bills that passed and those that didn't. Here are some excerpts from the article.

Equity efforts for teachers and school leaders

It could be a little easier for educators of color to enter the teaching profession, thanks to the passage of a bill that alters the path to a teaching license. Educators will no longer have to take a popular licensure test that “has been found to contain racial bias that may affect the test’s scoring, has limited efficacy to assess performance, and poses a financial burden for aspiring educator applicants,” the Maryland State Education Association said via email.

The state’s teachers union also supported a successful bill that requires each county school board member to take anti-bias training. It used to only be a requirement for educators. The extension to board members is intended to make those in charge of school policy decisions “well informed of their role in preventing bias, prejudice, and hate,” the union stated.

Lawmakers attempted to improve the educator workforce with a few other bills, but not all of them made it to the finish line. That includes one that would’ve required all school systems to use a national database to screen job applicants for disciplinary actions reported by school districts across the country. The bill had strong support in the senate but never made it out of committee.

The Interstate Teacher Mobility Compact bill also fell short. It could’ve helped Maryland public schools hire teachers with out-of-state credentials more easily. However, the bill had a short life in the house and never got a vote.

No statewide ban on cellphones in schools

Baltimore City Public Schools passed a cellphone ban this week, and Howard County already has one. Despite early evidence that suggests bans can lead to better grades and sharper focus for students, lawmakers did not pass any bills requiring other school districts to at least consider doing the same.

One of the bills introduced this year would have required certain county boards of education to develop and adopt a policy on the use of personal electronic devices during school hours. Though the bill was steadily making its way through the statehouse, it didn’t make it to the governor’s desk.

As NRA pushes Congress, states consider bills to put guns in schools

From The Sunlight Foundation's Nancy Watzman, as reported on April 2, 2013:

Even as the National Rifle Association (NRA) announced a new push today to put armed guards in schools across the country, state lawmakers across the country are considering similar proposals. So far, legislation related to guns on school grounds has come up in at least three dozen states. The vast majority of these bills would make it easier for school personnel, guards, and volunteers to carry guns on campus, while a handful would toughen laws prohibiting firearms at schools.

At least two states--South Dakota and Virginia--have enacted such laws to date and in one state, Alabama, the governor in March vetoed a bill that would allow armed volunteer security forces on school grounds. To track state legislation in progress using Sunlight's Scout notification service, click here.

For the entire article, go here.

And introduced in the Maryland statehouse:
HB395: Handguns - Permit Qualifications and Carrying on School Property - School Guardians, introduced by Delegates McDermott, Hough, K. Kelly, McComas, Parrott, and Smigiel

HB397: Criminal Law - Carrying Weapons on School Property - Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act, introduced by Delegates McDermott, Cluster, Hough, K. Kelly, McComas, and Parrott

SB533: Handguns - School Employees - Handgun Permits and Carrying Weapons on School Property, introduced by Senators Jacobs, Brinkley, Colburn, Glassman, Pipkin, and Reilly

Sine Die

Here is a roundup of education-related bills that were passed in Annapolis.  The session ended at the stroke of midnight April 11th-12th.  According to the round-up in the MarylandReporter.com, Len Lazarick and Megan Poinski reporting,

ALCOHOL TAX

The House of Delegates and Senate Monday night passed a new 3% sales tax on alcohol sold in stores, bars and restaurants, with most of the proceeds in the first year going to schools and school construction.


Advocates for people with developmental disabilities started pressing for an increase in a nickel-a-drink alcohol tax hike 18 months ago. Then they joined forces with a coalition of health care advocates pressing for a dime-a-drink dedicated to improve access to care and reimbursement for caregivers.

The original bill as proposed would have taxed beer, wine and liquor distributors, and raised $213 million, with about $32 million going for developmental disabilities.

After that proposal stalled, the excise tax was turned into an extra 3% consumer sales tax on alcohol, which would raise a total of $88 million. The Developmental Disabilities Administration got just $15 million in the final version, and the other health and mental health programs who would have gotten a percentage of the take in the original bill got nothing at all.

Instead, over $72 million of the new revenue is going to school aid and school construction in the first year, allocations made to gain the votes to get the tax passed. To get the tax’s proceeds to both places, both houses had to pass two bills.

The first $22 million for schools in Baltimore City, Prince George’s, Allegany and Garrett counties helped the new tax get through the Senate. When the bill ran into problems in the House on Saturday, the Ways & Means Committee added $47.5 million for school construction projects, mostly to the large suburban counties in central Maryland.

And

Del. C. William Frick, D-Montgomery, the floor leader for the debate, said that the alcohol tax before them actually takes the price of the drink into consideration. The “dime-a-drink” proposal would have increased the cost of each individual drink, regardless of its cost. Frick also said that his wife is an alcohol retailer, and she has not opposed the proposal.

“I have not had to sleep on the couch,” Frick said.

Del. Michael Smigiel R- Caroline, Cecil, Kent and Queen Anne’s, said he did not want to vote for a bill that would take away money for people with disabilities. “We’re like a bunch of hyenas picking at rotting flesh,” Smigiel said.

Del. Susan Krebs, R-Carroll and Howard counties, said that her biggest frustration is that for two years, advocates for the disabled and mentally ill had lobbied for an alcohol tax to raise more money to help them.

“In my opinion, this money is going to buy votes, not where it is meant to be,” she said.

For the complete article go here.
Other bills passed, as reported by the AP in the herald-mail.com:

FOR-PROFIT COLLEGES

The Maryland Higher Education Commission will have regulatory authority over for-profit colleges.

STATE BUDGET
Maryland’s $34 billion budget includes tens of millions of dollars in new fees and increases education funding over what was previously submitted by the governor. Certificate-of-title fees for vehicles rise from $50 to $100. A separate fee for paperwork when buying a new car goes from $100 to $200. A fee for filing land records increases from $20 to $40. A fee for vanity license plates doubles from $25 to $50.

IMMIGRANT TUITION
Undocumented immigrants will be able to receive in-state tuition if they complete two years at a community college and can show their parents paid state taxes for at least three years before they graduated high school.

For the full article go here.

In Annapolis Now: BOE wants Authority to Raise Your Taxes

Now making its way through the waning days of the Annapolis Legislature is House Bill 1352, ‘Local School Boards – Authority to Impose a Property Tax.’ The Bill is being co-sponsored by a number of Montgomery County officials that you elected: Delegate Sheila Hixson (D-District 20, Montgomery County), also Chair of Ways and Means; Talmadge Branch (D-District 45, Baltimore City), Jolene Ivey (D-District 47, Prince Georges County), Del. Anne Kaiser (D-District 14, Montgomery County), Del. Eric Luedtke (D-District 14, Montgomery County) and Jay Walker (D-District 26, Prince George's County).


Here is the Bill, below.
House Bill 1352 2011 Local School Boards - Authority to Impose a Property Tax


And here is the ‘Fiscal and Policy Note’ on the bill.
House Bill 1352 Fiscal and Policy Note Annapolis Legislation 2011


This bill will allow the Board of Education to raise property taxes above and beyond the caps that citizens in Montgomery County have placed on these taxes.

To contact your representatives about this bill:
Sheila Hixson: sheila.hixson@house.state.md.us or 301-858-3469
Anne Kaiser: anne.kaiser@house.state.md.us or 301-890-4422
Talmadge Branch: talmadge.branch@house.state.md.us or (301) 858-3398
Jolene Ivey: jolene.ivey@house.state.md.us or 1-800-492-7122, ext. 3478 (toll free)
Eric Luedtke: eric.luedtke@house.state.md.us or 301-858-3110
Jay Walker: jay.walker@house.state.md.us or 301-858-3581

According to the League of Women Voters,

An interesting unexpected ‘message’ education bill has been filed in the waning weeks of the 2011 session. HB 1352 - Local School Boards - Authority to Impose a Property Tax, which has been filed by Delegate Hixson and five other members of the Ways and Means Committee, would authorize local school boards to levy a property tax to provide funding for school operations and expenses. The tax would be imposed as is the county property tax and would require the county government to reduce its property tax rate to lower the revenue from the property tax by the amount budgeted for the school board the previous fiscal year. The school board could also issue bonds for capital expenditures. (Hrg in W&M on 3/30)

Support the Transparency Bill NOW

Citizens of Montgomery County have an immediate opportunity to support Transparency in our county government. We are lagging far behind the federal government. Remember that on his first day President Obama signed a memo directing transparency in our federal government (Subject: Transparency and Open Government). The new Recovery Act also requires a high degree of transparency, as directed by the head of OMB in his memo of February 18, 2009.

Contact your delegates now to make sure Montgomery County does not continue to lag behind the federal government.

The Montgomery County Delegation is sponsoring House Bill 841, Montgomery County Public Schools – Funding Accountability and Transparency Act
Speak up and contact your delegates – Tell them to support your right to an open and transparent government.

Contact information is at http://parentscoalitionmc.com/ContactYourReps.html

Here is the bill in its entirety:

HOUSE BILL 841
F3, F1 9lr0993

By: Montgomery County Delegation
Introduced and read first time: February 11, 2009
Assigned to: Ways and Means

A BILL ENTITLED

AN ACT concerning

Montgomery County Public Schools – Funding Accountability and
Transparency Act

MC 930–09

FOR the purpose of requiring the Montgomery County Board of Education to develop
and operate a certain website that includes certain information about certain
payments; specifying certain parameters of the website; defining certain terms;
and generally relating to the development and operation of a searchable website
by the Montgomery County Board of Education.

BY adding to
Article – Education
Section 5–115
Annotated Code of Maryland
(2008 Replacement Volume)

SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF
MARYLAND, That the Laws of Maryland read as follows:

Article – Education

5–115.

(A) (1) IN THIS SECTION THE FOLLOWING WORDS HAVE THE
MEANINGS INDICATED.

(2) (I) “PAYEE” MEANS ANY PARTY WHO RECEIVES FROM THE
MONTGOMERY COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION AN AGGREGATE PAYMENT OF
$10,000 IN A FISCAL YEAR.

(II) “PAYEE” DOES NOT INCLUDE:

1. A MONTGOMERY COUNTY EMPLOYEE WITH
RESPECT TO THE EMPLOYEE’S COMPENSATION; OR

2. A MONTGOMERY COUNTY RETIREE WITH
RESPECT TO THE RETIREE’S RETIREMENT ALLOWANCE.

(3) “SEARCHABLE WEBSITE” MEANS A WEBSITE CREATED IN
ACCORDANCE WITH THIS SECTION THAT DISPLAYS AND SEARCHES PAYMENT
DATA OF THEMONTGOMERY COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION.

(B) ON OR BEFORE JANUARY 1, 2010, THE MONTGOMERY COUNTY
BOARD OF EDUCATION SHALL DEVELOP AND OPERATE A SINGLE SEARCHABLE
WEBSITE ACCESSIBLE TO THE PUBLIC AT NO COST THROUGH THE INTERNET.

(C) THE SEARCHABLE WEBSITE SHALL CONTAIN MONTGOMERY
COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION PAYMENT DATA INCLUDING:

(1) THE NAME OF A PAYEE RECEIVING A PAYMENT;

(2) THE LOCATION OF A PAYEE BY POSTAL ZIP CODE; AND

(3) THE AMOUNT OF A PAYMENT.

(D) THE SEARCHABLE WEBSITE SHALL ALLOW THE USER TO:

(1) SEARCH DATA FOR FISCAL YEAR 2009 AND EACH YEAR
THEREAFTER; AND

(2) SEARCH BY THE FOLLOWING DATA FIELDS:

(I) A PAYEE RECEIVING A PAYMENT; AND

(II) THE ZIP CODE OF A PAYEE RECEIVING A PAYMENT.

(E) THIS SECTION MAY NOT BE CONSTRUED TO REQUIRE THE
DISCLOSURE OF INFORMATION THAT IS CONFIDENTIAL UNDER FEDERAL,
STATE, OR LOCAL LAW.

(F) THIS SECTION SHALL BE KNOWN AND MAY BE CITED AS THE
“MONTGOMERY COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS FUNDING ACCOUNTABILITY AND
TRANSPARENCY ACT OF 2009”.

SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect
October 1, 2009.