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*sb0957*
SENATE BILL 957
F1 6lr1938
CF HB 1115
By: Senators Gile and Simonaire
Introduced and read first time: February 8, 2026
Assigned to: Rules
Re–referred to: Education, Energy, and the Environment, February 22, 2026
Committee Report: Favorable with amendments
Senate action: Adopted
Read second time: March 4, 2026
CHAPTER ______
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 was renewed during a certain period of time and has a 10 –year 5
award period and is subject to a renewal process is eligible for certain salary 6
increases associated with the career ladder; applying this Act retroactively; and 7
generally relating to National Board Certified teachers and 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
2 SENATE BILL 957
Article – Education 1
6–1001. 2
(a) In this subtitle the following words have the meanings indicated. 3
(b) “Career ladder” means the career ladder for public prekindergarten, primary, 4
or secondary school teachers in the State implemented by county boards that meets the 5
standards set forth under this subtitle and the standards adopted by the Department. 6
(c) “NBC” means National Board Certification issu ed by the National Board for 7
Professional Teaching Standards. 8
(d) “NBC teacher” means a teacher who holds an active National Board 9
Certification. 10
(e) (1) “Teacher” means a certified public school employee who is primarily 11
responsible and accountable for teaching the students in the class. 12
(2) “Teacher” does not include, unless otherwise provided: 13
(i) Curriculum specialists; 14
(ii) Instructional aides; 15
(iii) Attendance personnel; 16
(iv) Psychologists; 17
(v) Social workers; 18
(vi) Clerical personnel; 19
(vii) An individual with a Resident Teacher Certificate; or 20
(viii) An individual with a certification for career professionals. 21
6–1009. 22
(a) (1) Subject to paragraph (2) of this subsection, beginning on July 1, 2022, 23
teacher salary increases associated with the career ladder shall at a minimum include the 24
following: 25
(i) Becoming an NBC teacher – $10,000 salary increase; 26
(ii) An NBC teacher teaching at a low –performing school as 27
identified by the county board – $7,000 salary increase; 28
SENATE BILL 957 3
(iii) Becoming lead teacher – $5,000 salary increase; 1
(iv) Becoming distinguished teacher – $10,000 salary increase; 2
(v) Becoming professor distinguished teacher – $15,000 salary 3
increase; and 4
(vi) Becoming a distinguished principal – $15,000 salary increase. 5
(2) The teacher salary increases under paragraph (1) of this subsection do 6
not apply to paragraph (1)(iii) through (vi) of this subsection until § 6 –1002(a) of this 7
subtitle becomes effective as recommended by the Depa rtment and approved by the 8
Accountability and Implementation Board. 9
(b) (1) IN THIS SUBSECTION, “10–YEAR NBC” MEANS AN NBC AWARDED 10
TO A TEACHER ON OR BEFORE DECEMBER 31, 2021, THAT: 11
(I) HAS AN EXPIRATION DAT E WAS RENEWED BETWEEN 12
JANUARY 1, 2016, AND DECEMBER 31, 2031 2021, INCLUSIVE; AND 13
(II) HAS A 10–YEAR AWARD PERIOD; 14
(III) WAS SUBJECT TO THE RENEWAL PROCESS FOR RETENTION 15
OF CERTIFICATION; AND 16
(IV) PROHIBITS THE HOLDER FROM USING THE MAINTENANCE 17
OF CERTIFICATION PROCESS FOR RET ENTION OF CERTIFICAT ION UNTIL THE 18
10–YEAR AWARD PERIOD HAS EXPIRED. 19
(2) Salary increases associated with maintenance of an NBC OR RENEWAL 20
OF A 10–YEAR NBC are subject to collective bargaining in accordance with § 6–408 of this 21
title. 22
[(2)] (3) The State share for the following salary increases provided under 23
paragraph [(1)] (2) of this subsection shall not exceed the following amounts: 24
(i) FOR AN NBC THAT HAS A 5–YEAR AWARD PERIOD EXCEPT 25
AS PROVIDED IN ITEM (II) OF THIS PARAGRAPH: 26
1. Earning a first maintenance of NBC – $8,000 salary 27
increase; 28
[(ii)] 2. Earning a second maintenance of NBC – $7,000 salary 29
increase; and 30
4 SENATE BILL 957
[(iii)] 3. Earning a third maintenance of NBC – $6,000 salary 1
increase; AND 2
(II) FOR A 10–YEAR NBC: 3
1. EARNED 5 YEARS AFTER EARNING RENEWAL OF A 4
10–YEAR NBC (FIRST MAINTENANCE OF NBC) – $8,000 SALARY INCREASE; 5
2. EARNING A FIRST MAINTENANCE OF A 10–YEAR NBC 6
AFTER 5 YEARS FROM THE DATE OF RENEWAL MAINTENANCE OF CERTIFICATION 7
THAT BEGINS A 5–YEAR AWARD PERIOD (SECOND MAINTENANCE OF NBC) – $7,000 8
SALARY INCREASE; AND 9
3. EARNING A SECOND MAINTENANCE OF A 10–YEAR 10
NBC MAINTENANCE OF CERTIFICATION (THIRD MAINTENANCE OF NBC) – $6,000 11
SALARY INCREASE. 12
(c) (1) If a teacher is eligible for more than one salary increase under 13
subsections (a) and (b) of this section, the teacher shall receive all salary increases that 14
apply. 15
(2) A teacher that receives a salary increase under subsection (a)(2) of this 16
section for teaching at a low–performing school may not lose that salary increase while 17
teaching at the school even if the school ceases to be low–performing. 18
(d) On or before July 1, 2024, each county shall demonstrate to the Accountability 19
and Implementation Board established under § 5–402 of this article that, during the period 20
between July 1, 2019, and June 30, 2024, teachers in the county received a 10% salary 21
increase above the negotiated schedule of salary increases between the public school 22
employer and exclusive representative for the employee organization. 23
(e) Beginning on July 1, 2026, the minimum teacher salary for all teachers shall 24
be $60,000. 25
(f) (1) In this subsection, “total program amount” means the sum of, for each 26
item under subsections (a) and [(b)(2)] (B)(3) of this section: 27
(i) The teacher salary increase multiplied by the number of teachers 28
receiving the salary increase; and 29
(ii) Rounded to the nearest whole dollar. 30
SENATE BILL 957 5
(2) The increase in the salary required under subsections (a) and [(b)(2)] 1
(B)(3) of this section shall be a shared cost between the State and the county in accordance 2
with this subsection. 3
(3) The required State share for each county is the result of the following 4
calculation multiplied by 0.5 and rounded to the nearest whole dollar: 5
(i) The salary increase multiplied by the number of teachers eligible 6
to receive the salary increase in the prior fiscal year; 7
(ii) Divide the result calculated under item (i) of this paragraph by 8
the ratio, rounded to seven decimal places, of local wealth per pupil to statewide wealth per 9
pupil as defined in § 5–201 of this article; and 10
(iii) Multiply the result calculated under item (ii) of this paragraph 11
by the result, rounded to seven decimal places, that results from dividing the total program 12
amount by the sum of all of the results calculated under item (ii) of this paragraph for all 13
counties. 14
(4) The required local share is equal to the total program amount for each 15
county minus the State share calculated under paragraph (3) o f this subsection and 16
rounded to the nearest whole dollar. 17
(g) (1) Beginning in fiscal year 2023, the State shall distribute the State share 18
of the teacher salary increases as calculated under subsection (f) of this section to each 19
county board. 20
(2) Beginning in fiscal year 2023, the county shall distribute the local share 21
of the teacher salary increases as calculated under subsection (f) of this section to each 22
county board. 23
(3) Beginning in fiscal year 2023, the county board shall distribute the 24
State and the local share of the teacher salary increase to the school in which the teacher 25
works. 26
SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall be construed to 27
apply retroactively and shall be applied to and interpreted to affect any teacher salary 28
increases associated with the career ladder for teachers holding a National Board 29
Certificate under § 6–1009 of the Education Article on or before July 1, 2026. 30
SECTION 3. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect July 31
1, 2026. 32