State Department ofEducatwn/235

Schools, backed by professionally qualified staff (Chapter 506, Acts of 1916) Appointed by the Governor
with no regard for political affiliation, county boards of education in turn appointed the county
superintendent and the district school boards Professional standards were set for State and county
administrators, and standards for teachers were written into law Policy was formulated at the State level
and administered by professionals Ages for compulsory school attendance were extended, minimum
salaries for white teachers increased, and the school year lengthened in Negro schools

Maryland accepted provisions of the federal Smith Hughes Act in 1918, which added vocational
education to the curriculum, established a State Equalization Fund to aid poorer counties in 1922, created
the State Teachers Retirement Fund in 1927, initiated education for all handicapped children through
State and federal funding in 1929, and built schools for baby boomers with the School Construction Loan
Fund of 1949 Desegregation of Maryland schools began in 1955

The basic foundations were laid in 1916 for the current State Department of Education, which became
a cabinet level department in 1976 (Chapter 539, Acts of 1976) The general care and supervision of
public education are vested in the Department, consisting of the State Superintendent of Schools,
appointed by the State Board of Education, and the professional staffemployed by the Board to assist the
Superintendent

The State Board of Education sets policy for the pubhc school system and enacts the bylaws and
regulations that govern it (Code Education Article, sees 2-201 through 2-205) The Board also considers
and mediates disputes arising from the twenty four local independent school districts in Maryland The
Board, often through the office of the State Superintendent of Schools, consults and advises county boards
of education, county superintendents and their staffs, principals, and teachers Appointed by the Governor,
the State Board of Education is composed often members Nine are appointed to five-year terms, and a
nonvodng student member serves a one year term

With the advice and counsel of the State Superintendent of Schools and the staff of the State
Department of Education, the Board prescribes basic policy and guidelines for instruction in public
schools The Board, with the State Superintendent's advice and counsel, also sees the standards for
certification of teachers and other professional personnel employed in Maryland schools and establishes
high school graduation requirements If local school districts do not comply with State standards, the
Board and the State Superintendent are empowered to recommend the withholding of State funds from
chose districts

The Department was reorganized in 1988 into three Bureaus Educational Support, Educational
Development, and Vocational Rehabilitation and Correctional Education In 1990, divisions formerly
within the Bureau of Educational Support were placed direcdy under the State Supenntendent of Schools
Also within the Department are the Drug-Free Schools Advisory Council, the Interagency Advisory
Committee for Early Childhood Development and Education, the Advisory Committee for Educational
Block Grants, the Education Coordinating Council for Correctional Institutions, the Education Coor
dinating Council for State Hospital Centers and Juvenile Institutions, the Professional Standards and
Teacher Education Advisory Board, the Maryland Advisory Council on Libraries, and the Attendant Care
Program Advisory Committee