Excellence in Maryland Public Schools Act

HB 504, the Excellence in Maryland Public Schools Act, replaces Maryland's old Interstate Agreement on Qualifications of Educational Personnel with the Interstate Teacher Mobility Compact, allowing teachers with multistate licenses to teach across participating states. The bill modifies school funding by freezing certain increases to the Concentration of Poverty School Grant Program, redirecting interest from the Academic Excellence Fund to support the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, and establishing new grants like the Maryland Teacher Relocation Incentive and Collaborative Time Innovation Demonstration Grant. It requires countywide community school implementation plans, alters the Grow Your Own Educators Grant Program to better support local teacher development, and expands wraparound services in community schools. These changes directly affect Maryland public school systems, teachers, and students by reshaping teacher recruitment, retention, and school resource allocation.