Education - Career Ladder - National Board Certification Associated Salary Increases

EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MATTER ADDED TO EXISTING LAW.
[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
*hb1115*

HOUSE BILL 1115
F1 6lr1939
CF SB 957
By: Delegates Pruski, Bagnall, Behler, and D. Jones
Introduced and read first time: February 11, 2026
Assigned to: Ways and Means

A BILL ENTITLED

AN ACT concerning 1

Education – Career Ladder – National Board Certification Associated Salary 2
Increases 3

FOR the purpose of clarifying that a teacher who holds a certain National Board 4
Certification that has a 10–year award period and is subject to a renewal process is 5
eligible for certain salary increases associated with the career ladder; applying this 6
Act retroactively; and generally relating to National Board Certified teachers and 7
the career ladder. 8

BY repealing and reenacting, without amendments, 9
Article – Education 10
Section 6–1001 11
Annotated Code of Maryland 12
(2025 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 13

BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 14
Article – Education 15
Section 6–1009 16
Annotated Code of Maryland 17
(2025 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 18

SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 19
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 20

Article – Education 21

6–1001. 22

(a) In this subtitle the following words have the meanings indicated. 23

2 HOUSE BILL 1115

(b) “Career ladder” means the career ladder for public prekindergarten, primary, 1
or secondary school teachers in the State implemented by county boards that meets the 2
standards set forth under this subtitle and the standards adopted by the Department. 3

(c) “NBC” means National Board Certification issued by the National Board for 4
Professional Teaching Standards. 5

(d) “NBC teacher” means a teacher who holds an active National Board 6
Certification. 7

(e) (1) “Teacher” means a certified public schoo l employee who is primarily 8
responsible and accountable for teaching the students in the class. 9

(2) “Teacher” does not include, unless otherwise provided: 10

(i) Curriculum specialists; 11

(ii) Instructional aides; 12

(iii) Attendance personnel; 13

(iv) Psychologists; 14

(v) Social workers; 15

(vi) Clerical personnel; 16

(vii) An individual with a Resident Teacher Certificate; or 17

(viii) An individual with a certification for career professionals. 18

6–1009. 19

(a) (1) Subject to paragraph (2) of this subsection, beginning on July 1, 2022, 20
teacher salary increases associated with the career ladder shall at a minimum include the 21
following: 22

(i) Becoming an NBC teacher – $10,000 salary increase; 23

(ii) An NBC teacher teaching at a low –performing school as 24
identified by the county board – $7,000 salary increase; 25

(iii) Becoming lead teacher – $5,000 salary increase; 26

(iv) Becoming distinguished teacher – $10,000 salary increase; 27

HOUSE BILL 1115 3

(v) Becoming professor distinguished teacher – $15,000 salary 1
increase; and 2

(vi) Becoming a distinguished principal – $15,000 salary increase. 3

(2) The teacher salary increases under paragraph (1) of this subsection do 4
not apply to paragraph (1)(iii) through (vi) of this subsection until § 6 –1002(a) of t his 5
subtitle becomes effective as recommended by the Department and approved by the 6
Accountability and Implementation Board. 7

(b) (1) IN THIS SUBSECTION, “10–YEAR NBC” MEANS AN NBC AWARDED 8
TO A TEACHER ON OR BEFORE DECEMBER 31, 2021, THAT: 9

(I) HAS AN EXPIRATION DATE BETWEEN JANUARY 1, 2016, AND 10
DECEMBER 31, 2031, INCLUSIVE; 11

(II) HAS A 10–YEAR AWARD PERIOD; 12

(III) WAS SUBJECT TO THE RENEWAL PROCESS FOR RETENTION 13
OF CERTIFICATION; AND 14

(IV) PROHIBITS THE HOLDER FROM USING THE MAINTENANCE 15
OF CERTIFICATION PROCESS FOR RETENTION OF CER TIFICATION UNTIL THE 16
10–YEAR AWARD PERIOD HAS EXPIRED. 17

(2) Salary increases associated with maintenance of an NBC OR RENEWAL 18
OF A 10–YEAR NBC are subject to collective bargaining in accordance with § 6–408 of this 19
title. 20

[(2)] (3) The State share for the following salary increases provided under 21
paragraph [(1)] (2) of this subsection shall not exceed the following amounts: 22

(i) FOR AN NBC THAT HAS A 5–YEAR AWARD PERIOD: 23

1. Earning a first maintenance of NBC – $8,000 salary 24
increase; 25

[(ii)] 2. Earning a second maintenance of NBC – $7,000 salary 26
increase; and 27

[(iii)] 3. Earning a third maintenance of NBC – $6,000 salary 28
increase; AND 29

(II) FOR A 10–YEAR NBC: 30

4 HOUSE BILL 1115

1. EARNED RENEWAL OF A 10–YEAR NBC – $8,000 1
SALARY INCREASE; 2

2. EARNING A FIRST MAINTENANCE OF A 10–YEAR NBC 3
AFTER 5 YEARS FROM THE DATE OF RENEWAL – $7,000 SALARY INCREASE; AND 4

3. EARNING A SECOND MAIN TENANCE OF A 10–YEAR 5
NBC – $6,000 SALARY INCREASE. 6

(c) (1) If a t eacher is eligible for more than one salary increase under 7
subsections (a) and (b) of this section, the teacher shall receive all salary increases that 8
apply. 9

(2) A teacher that receives a salary increase under subsection (a)(2) of this 10
section for teac hing at a low –performing school may not lose that salary increase while 11
teaching at the school even if the school ceases to be low–performing. 12

(d) On or before July 1, 2024, each county shall demonstrate to the Accountability 13
and Implementation Board established under § 5–402 of this article that, during the period 14
between July 1, 2019, and June 30, 2024, teachers in the county received a 10% salary 15
increase above the negotiated schedule of salary increases between the public school 16
employer and exclusive representative for the employee organization. 17

(e) Beginning on July 1, 2026, the minimum teacher salary for all teachers shall 18
be $60,000. 19

(f) (1) In this subsection, “total program amount” means the sum of, for each 20
item under subsections (a) and [(b)(2)] (B)(3) of this section: 21

(i) The teacher salary increase multiplied by the number of teachers 22
receiving the salary increase; and 23

(ii) Rounded to the nearest whole dollar. 24

(2) The increase in the salary required under subsections (a) and [(b)(2)] 25
(B)(3) of this section shall be a shared cost between the State and the county in accordance 26
with this subsection. 27

(3) The required State share for each county is the result of the following 28
calculation multiplied by 0.5 and rounded to the nearest whole dollar: 29

(i) The salary increase multiplied by the number of teachers eligible 30
to receive the salary increase in the prior fiscal year; 31

HOUSE BILL 1115 5

(ii) Divide the result calculated under item (i) of this paragraph by 1
the ratio, rounded to seven decimal places, of local wealth per pupil to statewide wealth per 2
pupil as defined in § 5–201 of this article; and 3

(iii) Multiply the result calculated under item (ii) of this paragraph 4
by the result, rounded to seven decimal places, that results from dividing the total program 5
amount by the sum of all of the results calculated under item (ii) of this paragraph for all 6
counties. 7

(4) The required local share is equal to the total program amount for each 8
county minus the State share calculated under paragraph (3) of this subsection and 9
rounded to the nearest whole dollar. 10

(g) (1) Beginning in fiscal year 2023, the State shall distribute the State share 11
of the teacher salary increases as calculated under subsection (f) of this section to each 12
county board. 13

(2) Beginning in fiscal year 2023, the county shall distribute the local share 14
of the teacher salary increases as calculated under subsection (f) of this section to each 15
county board. 16

(3) Beginning in fiscal year 2023, the county board shall distribute the 17
State and the local share of the teacher salary increase to the school in which the teacher 18
works. 19

SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall be construed to 20
apply retroactively and shall be applied to and interpreted to affect any tea cher salary 21
increases associated with the career ladder for teachers holding a National Board 22
Certificate under § 6–1009 of the Education Article on or before July 1, 2026. 23

SECTION 3. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect July 24
1, 2026. 25