At least 130 education bills were introduced in the House of Delegates this session, with nearly 60 percent advancing to the Senate by the crossover deadline. In the Senate, more than 50 education measures were filed, with just over half making it to the House, according to Maryland General Assembly data.
The volume reflects a continued focus on education in Annapolis. But the fate of key proposals, as well as the scope of what has passed so far, highlights an agenda shaped as much by incremental policy changes as by broader political divides.
BLUEPRINT FUNDING REMAINS CENTRAL — AND CONTESTED
At the center of the debate is the state’s multibillion-dollar school reform plan, the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, which continues to drive both legislation and partisan disagreement.
Senate President Bill Ferguson said Maryland lawmakers have reaffirmed their commitment to education largely by maintaining funding for the sweeping plan, even as long-term financial questions remain.
“We’ve upheld our commitment to the implementation of the Blueprint in a way that is financially reasonable and within the means of what we had anticipated,” Ferguson told The Baltimore Sun on Tuesday, adding that the state has set aside funding to support the plan’s increases through the 2027 budget.
Still, he noted that lawmakers will soon face “big questions about the glide path” and how to finance future spending.
The budget, which passed the Senate and awaits a House vote, allocates $10.2 billion for K-12 education — a $373.8 million increase from the previous year, keeping the state on pace with the Blueprint’s 10-year funding plan.
While Democratic leaders have framed the small changes as necessary refinements, Republicans have continued to push for more oversight and accountability. A GOP-backed bill, House Bill 1555, that sought additional scrutiny of the Blueprint, stalled in the House Ways and Means Committee after being presented two weeks ago.
CELLPHONE BAN DRAWS BROAD SUPPORT
That tension is less visible in one of the session’s most prominent education measures: a bill restricting student use of cellphones and other personal electronic devices during the school day.
The legislation, which also limits social media use, passed both chambers with near-unanimous support — a rarity in a session marked by partisan divides.
Ferguson described the bill as a sign of a broader shift in how lawmakers view technology in schools. “There’s not a lot of things that all of us agree 100 percent on,” he said. “But it does seem like there is a recognition that something is happening with kids and phones in schools that we really have to address.”
“I think it’s probably one of the big takeaways for the session,” he added. “There’s a paradigm shift happening.”
Still, one lawmaker raised concerns about how the policy could play out in practice. Del. Robin Grammer, the lone vote against the bill, warned The Sun in a Monday night text message that the measure could have unintended consequences. “I feel that HB525 will likely end up punishing students who aren’t causing disruptions more than it will be used to handle students who are causing disruptions,” he said.
GRADUATE LABOR BILL ADVANCES, CONTINUES TO MEET PUSHBACK
Higher education legislation has also exposed tensions between lawmakers and advocates.
A long-sought bill granting collective bargaining rights to graduate assistants at public universities has advanced further than ever before, passing both chambers after years of failed attempts. But labor organizers say the versions moving forward, particularly in the Senate, have significantly weakened their demands.
“The House passed a clean version of the bill,” said Siena Hurwitz, a graduate worker involved in organizing efforts at the University of Maryland. “Then the Senate added in some amendments, all of which are pretty harmful.”
Among organizers’ biggest concerns is a provision that would exclude many research assistants from union eligibility — a change the University of Maryland Graduate Labor Union told The Sun could affect roughly half of graduate workers. Other amendments would limit the bill’s scope and delay implementation.
Jeremy Shuler, another graduate worker, said partial recognition could undermine organizing efforts because union membership could be nearly split in half. “Having a union for half of graduate [workers] is going to actively impede the other half,” he said.
Still, advocates called the legislation a milestone after years of organizing.
“We’re going to get the bill in some form. This is really big deal: two decades of work,” Hurwitz told The Sun, adding that progress has come through sustained pressure from graduate workers.
OTHER EMERGING EDUCATION ISSUES
Lawmakers have also begun grappling with how emerging technologies could reshape classrooms.
The Artificial Intelligence Ready Schools Act would require the Maryland State Department of Education to develop guidance and best practices for artificial intelligence use by educators, students and school systems. The bill, which has passed the full Senate and now heads to the House — where companion legislation stalled earlier this month — would also establish a statewide collaborative and require local school systems to designate AI coordinators.
Immigration policy has also intersected with education debates this session. Identical bills limiting cooperation between school security personnel and federal immigration enforcement has advanced through both chambers.
Still, not all high-profile proposals have moved forward. Legislation requiring schools to stock airway clearing devices — introduced after the death of an Anne Arundel County student and renewed attention from a 2025 FOX45 investigation — has stalled in both chambers.
With negotiations ongoing and several proposals still in flux, the final weeks of the session will determine whether lawmakers deliver on their early promises — or leave some of the most pressing education debates unresolved.
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