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Annual School Budget Brinkmanship







Photo credit Baltimore Sun.
 

Here we go again.

Howard schools superintendent recommends staff reduction, class size increase to close $67.3M budget gap, Ethan Ehrenhaft, Howard County Times 

There often seems to be a bit of brinkmanship involved with the annual school budget. The choice of the photo used to accompany the article adds a heightened sense of tension to the situation. 

Dr. Martinaro gives the grim news while County Executive Calvin Ball looks on.

Of course, this is a staff photo they have on hand which has nothing to do with this situation. It simply conveys the idea that there is a conflict of budgets between the Superintendent and the County Executive.

Have you ever noticed that the first things that get mentioned for cuts are teachers and class sizes? It seems to me that those are the last things you would ever want to cut. They are the most painful cuts and the ones that would upset the most number of people. Maybe that’s why.

You are truly going to get the public’s attention when you put teachers and class sizes on the chopping block. 

Now maybe this is purely a financial decision. Maybe it has absolutely nothing to do with brinkmanship. But, just once, I’d like the Superintendent to step out and offer another possible sacrifice. Imagine if you will…

Superintendent recommends staff reduction and salary cuts at Central Office, places indefinite hold on standardized testing.

No, it’s not likely. It’s hard to imagine people getting up in arms about that. Perhaps the numbers wouldn’t add up. Who knows?

It’s like having your parents sit you down at a family meeting to say they’re going to have to cut back on the food budget and the first thing that has to go is your favorite thing. It’s never the canned green beans or the boiled lamb shanks. 

I believe that both the Superintendent and the County Executive care very deeply about education. They will find a way to work this out somehow. Dr. Martirano’s first responsibility is to the school system. Dr. Ball must balance the needs of the entire county. 

But I wonder what would happen if the situation were reversed? Let’s pretend, shall we?



Photo credit WJZ, CBS News Baltimore. Used out of context.


County Executive recommends cuts to Police and Fire Department in order to meet education budget requests in full.

It would have to be police and fire to get people’s attention, right? 

Friends, I am tired of this. Cutting teachers and increasing class sizes is like cutting off the oxygen for learning. It should be the very last thing offered up. We have long needed a better way to look at funding our schools. All this posturing year in and year out benefits no one.

Oh, look. From County Executive Calvin Ball’s Facebook page:

We are fully committed to implementing the Blueprint for Maryland’s future to enhance the excellence of our public education system. While doing so, we must establish responsible and transparent fiscal priorities. 

This workgroup will help dismantle silos, improve collaboration among educational entities, and establish a coordinated strategy to successfully achieve the goals set forth in the Blueprint, while respecting the use of taxpayer dollars. 

Read more at https://www.howardcountymd.gov/News051723

This looks promising. 

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