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BILL: SB 913
TITLE: Publicly Funded Full-Day Prekindergarten Program - Tier I Child -
Alteration of Definition
DATE: March 7, 2023
POSITION: Support
COMMITTEE: Education, Energy, and the Environment
CONTACT: Mary Pat Fannon, Executive Director, PSSAM
The Public School Superintendents’ Association of Maryland (PSSAM), on behalf of all twenty-four public school superintendents, supports Senate Bill 913.
This emergency bill would expand the definition of a full-day “Tier I child” prekindergarten who is 3 or 4 years old, and whose family income is less than or equal to 300% of the federal level, to include (1) a child with a disability; (2) a student who is a homeless youth; or, (3) who is from a home in which English is not the primary language.
We strongly encourage this expanded definition and believe this was the intention of the Kirwan Commission, but was omitted in the final legislation. This small, yet meaningful change is tremendously important as districts are implementing new and expanding public and private prekindergarten programs.
We applaud this legislation’s status as “emergency” so that funding for these vulnerable students can be provided to local school systems in the FY 2024 budget instead of waiting another year.
For these reasons, PSSAM supports Senate Bill 913 and urges a favorable report.