The 2026 legislative session concluded at midnight on April 13, marking a steady but consequential year for public education. While the State largely maintained its commitment to Blueprint funding, the session brought a wide range of policy changes that will directly affect how school systems operate, govern, and support students. From facilities planning to accountability, student safety, and emerging technology, the General Assembly’s actions this year were less about sweeping change and more about shaping how existing systems function in practice.
Budget Remains Steady for FY27
The General Assembly quickly agreed on a $70.8 billion budget, including $10.1 billion for K–12 education, continuing strong, Blueprint-driven investment. Lawmakers closed a $1.5 billion budget deficit largely through one-time fund swaps and spending delays. As budget analysts have long noted, the dedicated Blueprint fund—billions of dollars set aside for Blueprint implementation—will be exhausted next year, and the State appears to be facing a $2.6 billion shortfall for Fiscal Year 2028, setting up stark decisions next year that could involve tax increases or significant cuts, or a mix of both.
Academic and Blueprint Revisions
MABE supported the AIB’s central policy bill this session, SB 311, which made several key adjustments to the Blueprint, including extending compensatory education funding protections through fiscal year 2028. The State has not yet finalized a long-term methodology for identifying students in poverty, which drives compensatory education funding. That methodology will be critical to shaping future resource distribution. SB 311 requires the AIB and MSDE to propose a new methodology by the end of 2026.
In addition, MABE supported HB 1582 – the COMPASS Act, which expands MSDE’s flexibility under the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) to design a statewide accountability system to better differentiate among schools. The bill prohibits using teacher evaluations as a metric, limits the weight of each academic indicator, elevates growth measures, and broadens the options from which MSDE may choose for “school quality and student success” indicators to include factors such as staffing and student progress in a well-rounded curriculum, giving MSDE greater discretion to build a more meaningful system.
Security and Safety
Several school safety bills passed, including HB 326, which codifies a statewide anonymous reporting system with the Maryland Center for School Safety. The General Assembly also passed legislation addressing adult misconduct, including SB 81, which makes it an explicit crime for School Resource Officers to engage in sexual activity with students, and HB 501, which creates a clear tiered system of penalties for adults in positions of authority engaging in solicitation, sexual assault, and repeat offenses involving children.
MABE worked closely with the bill sponsor and stakeholders on SB 685, passed by the General Assembly, which requires MSDE to develop a model response policy for school-related allegations of sexual abuse and misconduct. The policy must include guidance on communication, document retention, centralized resources, and after-action review. The bill preserves the integrity of school, agency, and law enforcement investigations, and requires school systems to adopt aligned policies by September 2027.
The General Assembly also passed SB 810, the Maryland Values Act of 2026, a highly debated measure passed amid heightened tensions over immigration enforcement, as Maryland lawmakers moved to limit state and local involvement in ICE activity in response to increased federal enforcement. The bill creates a broader definition of “sensitive locations” that now includes school buses and bus stops.
Bullying reporting requirements were updated through HB 14, passed by the General Assembly. This bill modifies bullying reporting requirements by adding a new data element to capture any actual or perceived personal characteristic believed to motivate an incident. It also requires school systems to report summarized, non-identifiable data on substantiated incidents tied to those characteristics when trends show a change in data. MABE provided testimony that was ultimately adopted to improve this bill.
Facilities / School Construction
MABE collaborated with the Interagency Commission on School Construction (IAC) and school system facility planners to inform several improvements to the IAC’s departmental bill, SB 48. The bill provides school systems with clearer, more practical guidance to plan and deliver construction projects, including clarifying when MSDE approval is required, establishing an appeal process for unfunded projects, and modernizing debt service and facility assessment requirements. The bill was passed by the General Assembly.
Unfortunately, the General Assembly passed HB 1430, which establishes a new per pupil facility fund for charter schools on top of Capital Improvement Plan dollars allowed to the Interagency Commission on School Construction for traditional public schools. Beginning in 2027, with few limitations, charter schools will receive $200 per pupil each year for facilities over vociferous opposition from MSEA, PSSAM, MABE, and others.
In addition, the General Assembly passed HB 854, which establishes a school construction renovation program for nonpublic special education programs, with the General Assembly signaling intent to fund the program in future capital budgets.
Board Governance
MABE worked closely with Senator King and Delegate Kerr to advance SB 646 (HB 1604), a bill sought by many school systems’ legal counsel to strengthen school systems’ position in vendor contract negotiations. The bill voids certain unconscionable boilerplate terms, including provisions requiring broad indemnification of vendors, mandating binding arbitration or out-of-state litigation, or allowing vendors to unilaterally change contract terms. It should make negotiations with vendors much simpler for school systems. This bill was passed by the General Assembly.
Civic engagement absences were addressed in HB 575, which requires local school systems, beginning in the 2026–2027 school year, to allow excused or discretionary absences for students participating in civic engagement activities. These include meeting with members of a legislative body, testifying before a public body, or participating in the Maryland General Assembly Page Program, which will require many boards to update local attendance policies.
Despite the overwhelming majority of local school boards already having adopted their own policies on personal electronic devices, and over opposition of MABE and others, the General Assembly passed HB 525, the Joanne C. Benson Maryland Phone-Free Schools Act, requiring local boards of education to adopt policies by Fall 2027 restricting student use of electronic communication devices during the entire school day. The bill prohibits access to social media and generally requires devices to be stored, with exceptions for disability accommodations, health monitoring, language translation, and caregiving responsibilities. It also limits local discretion by setting parameters for enforcement and discipline, including a prohibition on suspension or expulsion for device use.
Special Student Populations
MABE also provided substantial input along with a consortium of stakeholders to improve SB 645, passed by the General Assembly, to strengthen the State Board of Sign Language Interpreters and support school systems’ ability to provide consistent interpretive services access for deaf and hard of hearing students. The bill delays education licensure to July 2028, allows more flexible preliminary certification to maintain access, adds education and hospital sector representation to the board, and requires data and recommendations on educational interpreting before regulations are finalized.
Technology Bills
Technology and data governance updates that the General Assembly passed include SB 601, which expands statewide cybersecurity requirements by authorizing the Department of Information Technology to establish minimum standards, requiring biennial cybersecurity maturity assessments, and mandating certification of compliance by local school systems beginning in June 2027. While aimed at strengthening system security, the bill introduces new certification obligations that may require additional capacity and coordination at the local level.
The General Assembly also enacted SB 720, the Artificial Intelligence Ready Schools Act, which directs MSDE to develop guidance and provide professional development on AI literacy and responsible use for students, educators, and families. The bill requires each school system to designate an AI coordinator and establishes a statewide AI Education Collaborative through 2028 to study and recommend best practices.
In addition to these bills and others that passed, several did not advance this session, due in part to advocacy from MABE and its partners. These included bills that would have increased civil rights investigation jurisdiction and established new, unprecedented civil rights of action against school systems, mandates on curriculum, and limited local control over vendor contracting, professional development, and local policymaking, among others.
The 2026 session reflects a continued emphasis on implementation of the Blueprint, of statewide standards, and of new operational expectations for school systems. MABE will continue to work with policymakers, state agencies, and local boards to ensure these changes are implemented in a way that supports strong governance and student outcomes.
For more information on the 2026 legislative session and outcomes of education-focused bills, you can visit our Legislative Tracker and view our 2026 Legislative Summary Deck.