There is a State Superintendent of Schools in the Department.

The State Superintendent shall be appointed by the State Board for a term of 4 years beginning on July 1 after the Superintendent’s appointment and serves until a successor is appointed and qualifies. The State Board shall fix the Superintendent’s salary and pay it from the appropriation for the expenses and maintenance of the Department. The State Superintendent shall: Be an experienced and competent educator; Be a graduate of an accredited college or university; Have at least 2 years of special academic and professional graduate preparation in an accredited college or university; and Have at least 7 years of experience in teaching and administration. The State Board may remove the State Superintendent for: Immorality; Misconduct in office; Insubordination; Incompetency; or Willful neglect of duty. Before removing the State Superintendent, the State Board shall send the Superintendent a copy of the charges against the Superintendent and give the Superintendent an opportunity within 10 days to request a hearing. If the State Superintendent requests a hearing within the 10–day period: The State Board promptly shall hold a hearing, but a hearing may not be set within 10 days after the State Board sends the State Superintendent a notice of the hearing; and The State Superintendent shall have an opportunity to be heard publicly before the State Board in the Superintendent’s own defense, in person or by counsel. The State Board shall appoint a new State Superintendent to fill a vacancy in that office for the remainder of the unexpired term.

In addition to the other powers granted and duties imposed under this article, the State Superintendent has the powers and duties set forth in this section. The State Superintendent shall enforce the provisions of: This article that are within his jurisdiction; and The bylaws, rules, and regulations of the State Board. If an educational institution, a county board, or a nonpublic prekindergarten program, or nonpublic school subject to the requirements of § 26–704 of this article violates any of these provisions, the State Superintendent, by written notice, may require the State Comptroller to withhold from that institution, board, program, or school: All or any part of an appropriation made by the General Assembly; and All or any part of any other payment from funds budgeted by the State. The State Superintendent shall: Carry out the educational policies of the State Board; Call and conduct conferences of county boards and professional personnel of the county school systems on the condition, needs, and improvement of the schools; and Prepare and publish pamphlets to: Stimulate public interest; Promote the work of education; and Foster professional insight and efficiency in teachers. The State Superintendent is a member of the Governor’s Executive Council. The State Superintendent shall: Receive and examine each report required under the bylaws, rules, and regulations of the State Board; and Examine the expenditures, business methods, and accounts of each county board and advise each county board about them. Subject to the bylaws, rules, and regulations of the State Board, and except as provided in paragraph (5) of this subsection, the State Superintendent, or the State Superintendent’s designee, shall approve or disapprove each: Proposal for the purchase or sale of any ground, school site, or building that will be used for the education of students; Plan or specification for the addition to or renovation of a school facility if the addition or renovation costs more than $1,250,000 and will affect the plan configuration of student–occupied spaces; Plan or specification for the construction of a new school building; and Change order that costs more than $350,000 for the addition to or renovation, restoration, or construction of student–occupied spaces in a school building or on its grounds. If the State Superintendent, or the State Superintendent’s designee, disapproves any plan, specification, proposal, or change order, the State Superintendent, or the State Superintendent’s designee, shall state in writing the reasons for the disapproval. If the construction is to be done by a county board, the board may not begin until the plans and specifications are approved in writing by the State Superintendent, or the State Superintendent’s designee. If the construction is to be done by contract, the contract is invalid without the written approval of the State Superintendent, or the State Superintendent’s designee. For the purchase of any ground or school site under paragraph (1) of this subsection, the county board shall submit the purchase to the State Superintendent, or the State Superintendent’s designee, for approval or disapproval not more than 3 years before the project is submitted to the Interagency Commission on School Construction for local planning approval. The State Superintendent shall certificate the professional personnel in each public school in accordance with this article and subject to the bylaws, rules, and regulations of the Professional Standards and Teacher Education Board. Renewal requirements for any professionally certificated employee may be waived if: The renewal is recommended by the county superintendent having jurisdiction over the employee; and The professionally certificated employee is: 55 years old or older; or Employed in public or approved nonpublic school service for at least 25 years. If the program is based on and complies with the standards established by the bylaws, rules, and regulations of the State Board, the State Superintendent shall approve any program of instruction offered by a State institution under the supervision of: The Department of Juvenile Services; The Developmental Disabilities Administration or the Behavioral Health Administration of the Maryland Department of Health; The Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services; or The residential school located within the Institute of Psychiatry and Human Behavior of the University Hospital. If the State Superintendent grants approval, he shall issue a certificate of approval for the program to the institution that offers the program. The certificate may be revoked for cause by the State Superintendent. Each institution that offers an approved program shall: Be open at all reasonable times for inspection of the program by the State Superintendent or his designated agent; and Furnish the information and reports that the State Superintendent considers necessary for evaluation of the program. The State Superintendent shall issue a certificate of completion of credit to a resident of an institution who successfully completes an approved program of instruction. The State Superintendent may furnish visual and auditory aids, educational television, and any other aids to facilitate instruction in all subjects in any school, institution, or organization under the supervision of the State Board. Material collected for this purpose may be made available for a limited time to any responsible institution or organization for the benefit of citizens of this State. The State Superintendent may make contracts to carry out the provisions of this subsection. The State Superintendent shall establish an Early Childhood Development Division within the Department. The State Superintendent shall perform any other duties assigned to him: Under this article; or By the State Board.

In this section, “noncollegiate educational institution” means a school or other institution that offers an educational program but is not an institution of postsecondary education, as defined in § 10-101 of this article. Before a private noncollegiate educational institution that operates in this State ends operations, including those operated by bona fide church organizations, the chief administrative officer of the institution shall file with the State Superintendent the original or a legible copy of all essential records of the academic achievements of each former student of the institution who received instruction in any combination of grades 9 through 12 or their equivalents. These records shall be prepared to present as a separate document the academic record of each former student and the academic information that customarily is required by postsecondary educational institutions when considering a student for admission. The State Superintendent shall keep a permanent file of these records. Any person who willfully fails or refuses to comply with the provisions of this section is guilty of a misdemeanor and on conviction is subject to a fine not exceeding $1,000 for each violation.

In this section the following words have the meanings indicated. “Agency” means a local education agency serving a population of students at least 80% of which are minority students. “Minority student” has the meaning stated in regulations adopted by the State Superintendent. “Youth lacrosse nonprofit organization” means a nonprofit organization that: Is located in a county with an agency; Provides lacrosse opportunities for children under the age of 18; and Is recognized by US Lacrosse as a member of the Urban Lacrosse Alliance. There is a Lacrosse Opportunities Program in the Department. The purpose of the Lacrosse Opportunities Program is to increase opportunities for minority students to participate in lacrosse in their communities. The State Superintendent shall develop and administer the Lacrosse Opportunities Program. An agency or a youth lacrosse nonprofit organization may submit an application to the Department to receive a grant for a program that is in furtherance of the purpose of the Lacrosse Opportunities Program. An application shall include: A description of the scope and purpose of the proposed program; A business plan that includes the estimated total cost of the proposed program; and Any other information required by the Department. In awarding a grant under the Lacrosse Opportunities Program, the Department shall: Require the grantee to provide matching funds from any combination of federal, county, municipal, or private sources; and Ensure that the grant does not exceed 50% of the total annual cost of the grantee’s program. The State Superintendent or the State Superintendent’s designee shall: Review grant applications submitted in accordance with subsection (d) of this section; and To the extent funds are available, provide grants to agencies and youth lacrosse nonprofit organizations that meet the requirements for a grant under this section. For fiscal year 2014 and each fiscal year thereafter, the Governor may include in the annual budget submission at least $40,000 for the Lacrosse Opportunities Program. The State Superintendent shall adopt regulations to implement this section.

In this section, “outreach program” means a comprehensive recruitment and outreach program designed to encourage the top 25% of high school students from each local school system to consider pursuing a Maryland professional teacher’s certificate. The Department, in collaboration with teacher preparation programs at institutions of higher education, county boards, teachers, and other interested stakeholders, shall establish: An outreach program within the Department; and A digital recruitment platform aimed at encouraging individuals to enter the teaching profession in Maryland. The outreach program and digital recruitment platform shall make use of a combination of free public service media and paid media, online resources, e–mail, and social media to implement a statewide marketing campaign to: Improve the public perception of the teaching profession and encourage individuals to pursue a Maryland professional teacher’s certificate by: Gathering contact information of interested individuals and providing the individuals with information about the teaching profession; Engaging prospective teachers with messaging that cultivates interest in the profession; Creating opportunities for prospective teachers to communicate with role model teachers through a “Talk to a Teacher” program; Connecting prospective teachers with opportunities for hands–on teaching experiences; Assisting prospective teachers in learning the certification process for becoming a teacher; and Connecting prospective teachers with teacher preparation programs at institutions of higher education in the State; Provide information to increase awareness of available incentives for individuals who pursue a Maryland professional teacher’s certificate, including the Teaching Fellows for Maryland scholarship program established under Title 18, Subtitle 22 of this article; and Provide information to increase awareness of the opportunity gaps that exist in various schools and the racial disparities between the student demographics and teaching population. The outreach program and digital recruitment platform shall focus recruitment efforts on: Individuals from ethnic, racial, gender, and other demographic groups that are underrepresented in the teaching profession in Maryland and within teacher shortage fields; and Teacher shortage fields identified by the Department. The Department shall establish a steering committee that includes individuals from ethnic, racial, gender, and other demographic groups and that includes both faculty and student representatives of historically black colleges and universities and other institutions of higher education. The Department may not implement the requirements of this subsection until full consultation with the steering committee has taken place. The outreach program and digital recruitment platform shall include marketing efforts to counselors and career centers at high schools and institutions of higher education in the State. The Governor shall include in the annual budget bill an appropriation of at least $250,000 for the Department to implement the requirements of this section.