The Blueprint for Maryland’s Future requires the annual identification of schools with low performance. The Blueprint states, "Recognizing that quality educators are key to student success, the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) is implementing a new Blueprint for Maryland’s Future program to attract and retain National Board Certified Teachers (NBCT) in the State’s low performing schools. Only five percent of Maryland’s National Board Certified Teachers are currently working in low performing schools."
At its meeting yesterday, the HCPSS Board of Education selected eight locally Low Performing Schools. MSDE provided the list of possible schools from the points earned in the 2018 and 2019 MD Report Card and the Board selected all of the eight possible schools for the designation.
The designation as a Low Performing School increases the salary of National Board Certified Teachers (NBCTs) who work at those schools. Staff who are identified as eligible for the $10,000 increase in salary for being an NBCT will receive an additional $7,000 if they teach at a Low Performing School.
This information is being shared now, because we wanted to make sure NBCTs who may want to transfer to one of these schools have the opportunity to submit that request by the April 15th transfer deadline. Please note, previously submitted voluntary transfer request forms cannot be edited. Contact Brianna Robinson, Position Control and Staffing Analyst, at brianna_robinson@hcpss.org if you wish to make changes to your request form (i.e. add or remove desired school locations) based upon this information.
NBCT Pay Increase Details:
The Blueprint increases the salary by $10,000 of National Board Certified educators who are actively teaching in Maryland public schools. For the purpose of identifying which National Board Certified Teachers will receive the $10,000 income supplement, Maryland House Bill 1300 (p. 122) defines “teacher” as “a certified public school employee who is primarily responsible and accountable for teaching students in the class.”
NBC Teachers staying or moving to a Low Performing School will receive an additional $7,000 added to their salary. As long as they stay at that school, a Nationally Board Certified Teacher will continue to earn the salary increase, even if the school shows improvement and is no longer identified as a low performing school. A new list of possible schools for designation will be provided each year by MSDE. The HCPSS Board of Education will then make decisions on which schools will be designated as low performing.
While HCPSS honors and supports the Blueprint distinction and incentives to recruit NBCTs to work in low performing schools, NBCT certification isn’t the only distinction that determines teacher mastery or responsiveness to students and community. For this purpose and aligned with provisions in the teacher contract and HCPSS policy, staff selection remains a school-based decision. NBCTs who express an interest in transferring to an identified school will be considered along with all other transfer candidates and will not receive special consideration due to their NBCT status.
The HCPSS schools designated as locally Low Performing Schools are:
- Cradlerock Elementary School
- Swansfield Elementary School
- Harper’s Choice Middle School
- Lake Elkhorn Middle School
- Oakland Mills Middle School
- Wilde Lake Middle School
- Oakland Mills High School
- Homewood Center