By John Davis
Baltimore Watchdog Staff Writer
The Baltimore County Board of Education, not mentioning any new details about its continuity of learning strategy, hinted Tuesday night that plans to resume in-person classes next week may be extended based on increasing cases of coronavirus in Maryland.
School classes, which closed on March 16 as mandated by Gov. Larry Hogan with plans to reopen April 24, could very likely be held online for the remainder of the school year.
“This is not business as usual,” said Superintendent Darryl Williams when he addressed the virtual board meeting.
Maryland officials report that there were 9,472 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Maryland, including 1,377 in Baltimore County.
Earlier Tuesday, Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski submitted a $3.9 billion budget proposal for the Fiscal Year 2021 that prioritizes quality education, keeping neighborhoods safe and supports the County’s workforce. The total proposed education budget is more than $2 billion, record funding for education for the second year in a row.
Olszewski said that the proposed BCPS budget is nearly $36 million above this fiscal year funding levels and $20 million over Maintenance of Effort.
The county education budget also:
- Provides a 1 percent cost-of-living increase for all Baltimore County Public Schools employees, effective July 1, 2020.
- Provides more than $1 million to hire additional school counselors and support staff to help address the mental health, social and emotional needs of students.
- Provides funding to support the Early College High School program at Woodlawn High School and the Pathways in Technology program at Dundalk High School.
- Protects Baltimore County’s portion of capital funding for all remaining Schools for our Future projects, which cannot move forward until the state provides its share of funding from the Built to Learn Act.
In a statement following the budget presentation, Williams acknowledged the unprecedented pressure the coronavirus pandemic has placed on Baltimore County.
“We understand the historic nature of the COVID-19 pandemic and the financial constraints it has placed on Baltimore County and all local jurisdictions,” said Williams. “County Executive Johnny Olszewski’s budget message clearly reflects this reality.”
During the meeting, the Board unanimously voted in favor of the Budget Appropriation Transfer, which reallocates funds from the Fiscal Year 2020 to the 2021 budget and includes $3.7 million for the purchase of textbooks in 2021, as well as $6.6 million for special education.
For reasons such as the reduced use of contract of buses because of the lack of need for transportation of students to and from school, savings in salary and benefit expenditures, and reduced use of instructional supplies, the turnover is higher than expected.
Board members also addressed the high school seniors who may feel they have been cheated out of some of the most memorable experiences of their high school careers.
Chair Kathleen Causey said the board is working on ways to highlight the efforts and achievements of Baltimore County’s seniors.
Williams said the decision to cancel some of the most cherished senior activities, such as prom, were not made lightly.