(a) (1) Subject to paragraph (2) of this subsection, beginning on July 1, 2022, teacher salary increases associated with the career ladder shall at a minimum include the following:
(i) Becoming an NBC teacher – $10,000 salary increase;
(ii) An NBC teacher teaching at a low–performing school as identified by the county board – $7,000 salary increase;
(iii) Becoming lead teacher – $5,000 salary increase;
(iv) Becoming distinguished teacher – $10,000 salary increase;
(v) Becoming professor distinguished teacher – $15,000 salary increase; and
(vi) Becoming a distinguished principal – $15,000 salary increase.
(2) The teacher salary increases under paragraph (1) of this subsection do not apply to paragraph (1)(iii) through (vi) of this subsection until § 6–1002(a) of this subtitle becomes effective as recommended by the Department and approved by the Accountability and Implementation Board.
(b) (1) Salary increases associated with maintenance of an NBC are subject to collective bargaining in accordance with § 6–408 of this title.
(2) The State share for the following salary increases provided under paragraph (1) of this subsection shall not exceed the following amounts:
(i) Earning a first maintenance of NBC – $8,000 salary increase;
(ii) Earning a second maintenance of NBC – $7,000 salary increase; and
(iii) Earning a third maintenance of NBC – $6,000 salary increase.
(c) (1) If a teacher is eligible for more than one salary increase under subsections (a) and (b) of this section, the teacher shall receive all salary increases that apply.
(2) A teacher that receives a salary increase under subsection (a)(2) of this section for teaching at a low–performing school may not lose that salary increase while teaching at the school even if the school ceases to be low–performing.
(d) On or before July 1, 2024, each county shall demonstrate to the Accountability and Implementation Board established under § 5–402 of this article that, during the period between July 1, 2019, and June 30, 2024, teachers in the county received a 10% salary increase above the negotiated schedule of salary increases between the public school employer and exclusive representative for the employee organization.
(e) Beginning on July 1, 2026, the minimum teacher salary for all teachers shall be $60,000.
(f) (1) In this subsection, “total program amount” means the sum of, for each item under subsections (a) and (b)(2) of this section:
(i) The teacher salary increase multiplied by the number of teachers receiving the salary increase; and
(ii) Rounded to the nearest whole dollar.
(2) The increase in the salary required under subsections (a) and (b)(2) of this section shall be a shared cost between the State and the county in accordance with this subsection.
(3) The required State share for each county is the result of the following calculation multiplied by 0.5 and rounded to the nearest whole dollar:
(i) The salary increase multiplied by the number of teachers eligible to receive the salary increase in the prior fiscal year;
(ii) Divide the result calculated under item (i) of this paragraph by the ratio, rounded to seven decimal places, of local wealth per pupil to statewide wealth per pupil as defined in § 5–201 of this article; and
(iii) Multiply the result calculated under item (ii) of this paragraph by the result, rounded to seven decimal places, that results from dividing the total program amount by the sum of all of the results calculated under item (ii) of this paragraph for all counties.
(4) The required local share is equal to the total program amount for each county minus the State share calculated under paragraph (3) of this subsection and rounded to the nearest whole dollar.
(g) (1) Beginning in fiscal year 2023, the State shall distribute the State share of the teacher salary increases as calculated under subsection (f) of this section to each county board.
(2) Beginning in fiscal year 2023, the county shall distribute the local share of the teacher salary increases as calculated under subsection (f) of this section to each county board.
(3) Beginning in fiscal year 2023, the county board shall distribute the State and the local share of the teacher salary increase to the school in which the teacher works.