By Glenn Kaplan
Baltimore Watchdog Staff Writer
Baltimore County teachers, principals and parents urged the Board of Education on Wednesday to approve Interim Superintendent Vernetta White’s proposed $2.38 billion school budget without further cuts.
During a public hearing at the board’s Greenwood campus in Towson, speakers said the money contained in the fiscal 2020 spending plan is needed if the school system is going to properly serve the 113,000 students who attend the county’s 175 schools.
They said the county faces many challenges and that the board should not be afraid to ask County Executive Johnny Olszewski and the County Council for the funds it needs to provide a proper education to students.
“We understand the budget is used from the county side,” said Abby Beytin, the president of the Teacher’s Association of Baltimore County. “But if we don’t ask for what is needed, there won’t be any funding going towards those needs.”
Missy Fanshaw, who is the principal of Rodgers Forge Elementary School, said White’s budget proposal is needed if the county is going to give an equal education to everyone in the system.
“We have seen an increase in our data and student achievement in both reading and math,” Fanshaw said. “BCPS needs to continue to provide equitable opportunities for students across our very large school system, to ensure that they have access to all of the tools that they need to learn and be successful.”
White’s budget proposal, which was released in January, continues a two-year-old pilot program that provides all students at Dundalk High School and Dundalk Middle School with free meals, regardless of their eligibility for free or reduced meals.
It also includes requests for state money to continue renovations at Patapsco and Woodlawn high schools. The budget plan includes a request for state money in the amounts of $16.5 million to replace Dundalk Elementary School, $13.5 million for Colgate Elementary and $15 million for Berkshire Elementary.
To keep up with expected increases in enrollment over the next six years, White’s proposed budget includes money to increase staffing to support students with disabilities and those learning English. It would increase the number of school bus attendants as well as provide funding for more school counselors, social workers and psychologists.
An earlier version of White’s budget included a 2 percent pay increase for teachers, but a revised version dropped that proposal.
The school board is scheduled to vote on the proposed budget Feb. 19 at 6:30 p.m. at the Greenwood Campus Board of Education Building E.
The spending plan would then be sent to County Executive Johnny Olszewski, who would include it as part of his overall budget for the county.
Speakers acknowledged that budget cuts are coming as the county faces a projected $81 million deficit for the upcoming fiscal year, which begins next July 1. But they urged the board to fully fund White’s budget.
“Once the budget goes to the county executive, we can all work with him to ensure his budget has the most possible resources included for the school system to move forward,” Beytin said. “We all understand cuts need to be made but that should happen at the county level.”
Dayana Bergman, a parent of a student at Lansdowne High School, said she has a ninth-grader with a vision impairment who requires access to large-print textbooks. She said a school program known as Students and Teachers Accessing Tomorrow (STAT) is important to her child.
“If we take away our STAT devices or reduce that, he can’t get access to his education,” Bergman said. “He would have to haul these large books around and I want to know if you’re willing to cut that.”
STAT, which began during the 2014-2015 academic year, is designed to better prepare students to the global economy of the 21st century.
Anne Gorman, the principal of Milbrook Elementary School, said there is a serious problem with the teacher-to-student ratio.
“There is already a teacher shortage,” she said. “We need and want strong talented teachers.”
According to school documents, if STAT was eliminated, it would put extra pressure on teachers, who would have an increased workload. This would also put students at a disadvantage, especially the ones who are in poverty, the documents say.
“I hope you truly consider the original proposal,” said Cheryl Brooks, the principal of Berkshire Elementary.