By Ryan O’Rourke, Max Venezia, Samantha Liptrap and Josephine Hill
The president of the Baltimore County teacher’s union Tuesday asked the County Council to increase education spending for the 2016 fiscal year.
Abby Beytin, who heads the Teachers Association of Baltimore County, said it is only through education that society can avoid destructive behavior like what is occurring in Baltimore City this week.
“I come here with a heavy heart,” Beytin told the council, which hosted a public hearing Tuesday on County Executive Kevin Kamenetz’s proposed $1.9 billion budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1. “I have long understood the risks we as a society have been taking over time as we blindly refuse to face up to the horrors of poverty in our state as well as our nation.
“When we see the mindless destruction that is happening in Baltimore City that may well spill into Baltimore County and across our nation, it should finally serve as a wakeup call for us all,” Beytin continued. “If we don’t educate and help raise up our poorest citizens, we will lose them to anarchy and destruction. We must understand that we are responsible for one another, and if we continue to turn a blind eye to those stuck in the cycle of poverty, we risk the rise in these kinds of behaviors where no one will be safe.”
The council is allowed to cut from the budget, but it cannot add to it. The current proposal includes $873 million for county schools, a 5.6 percent increase from this year. Kamenetz’s entire budget proposal would increase spending by 4.7 percent over 2015 and maintain the current tax rate of $1.10 for every $100 of assessed value.
Beytin, who was the only person to speak at the hearing, said the lack of school funding is one of the things that has led to the riots in the city and its condition as a whole.
In Baltimore County, Beytin said, 46 percent of students qualify for free or reduced priced lunches.
“These children cannot learn in the same manner as their peers because they are hungry, often sleep deprived because of their surroundings,” Beytin said.
She said many of these students have parents who do not have the skills to help them learn the vocabulary and math skills they needed to have acquired before they reached prekindergarten age.
Beytin said the current budget is effective for half her student population, excluding ESOL and homeless students.
“There is a greater need now than there was before,” Beytin said. “We have to meet the need.”
Cathy Bevins, who is the chairperson of the council, explained that the council is not permitted to add money to the education budget.
“We can only take away from the budget,” Bevins said. “No one wants to do that and we can’t add to it.”
In addition to Beytin, there was only one other person who attended the council hearing.
Christina Belcastro, the council administrator, said the meetings are not as popular as they used to be.
“Ten years ago the meetings were held in the high school because so many attended and everyone couldn’t fit in the chambers,” Belcastro said.
While the meetings aren’t filling up like they used to, Beytin said that there is usually more people. Beytin said that she thought the danger in the city was one of the reasons for the low turnout.
“All of the events that are happening likely caused people to stay away,” Beytin said, referring to the protests that erupted after the mysterious death of Freddie Gray while he was in the custody of the city police department.
Although Beytin said that there have been more faces at recent meetings, one of the council women said that this isn’t the first time Beytin was the only speaker.
“This is the third year in a row that no one showed up besides Abby,” Councilwoman Vicki Almond said.