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BILL: HB 1262
DATE: March 05, 2025
POSITION: Favorable
COMMITTEE: House Ways & Means Committee
CONTACT: Mary Pat Fannon, Executive Director, PSSAM
The Public School Superintendents’ Association of Maryland (PSSAM), on behalf of all twenty-four Maryland local school superintendents, supports House Bill 1262.
This legislation authorizes a county board of education to develop and establish income eligibility guidelines and procedures for payment of costs for a certain post college and career readiness (post-CCR) pathway, and requires a county board to provide access to the post-CCR pathway at no cost to the student or parents if the student's family income is below 400% of the federal poverty level.
PSSAM thanks the sponsor for her leadership in putting forth this legislation that largely mirrors one of our 2025 policy and legislative recommendations. PSSAM and its superintendent members strongly support this legislation that would authorize county boards of education to develop income-eligibility guidelines for CCR.
Currently the Blueprint requires all students meeting CCR to enroll in a post-CCR pathway at no cost to the student or their families. These pathways include:
Competitive entry college prep (IB, Cambridge, or AP).
Dual enrollment leading to an associate degree or 60 college credits.
Career and technical education (CTE) programs, apprenticeships, or industry certifications.
We believe that fully funding all post-CCR pathways for every eligible student may create significant financial strain on state and local budgets and jeopardize the long-term sustainability of this initiative. Also, by creating some guardrails for this generous opportunity, we will prevent overusage by some students who may enroll in multiple pathways without a clear postsecondary or career plan, leading to wasted resources. Directing resources toward students who need them most ensures equitable access without unnecessary overspending.
We believe unfettered access to all of these resources is fiscally unsound, and as we look for ways to make the Blueprint affordable, reigning in these costs should be seriously considered by the Legislature. To ensure the sustainability of this initiative, LEAs should have the flexibility to target funding for tuition and ancillary costs.
Therefore, PSSAM supports House Bill 1262 and kindly requests a favorable report.
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