Education Board To Vote On AACPS FY2021 Operating, Capital Budget

ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY, MD — The board of education of Anne Arundel County will discuss and vote on the adoption of its fiscal year 2021 operating and capital budget requests at its next meeting Feb. 19 at 7 p.m. in the board room of the Parham Building, 2644 Riva Road.

Superintendent George Arlotto’s recommended $1.36 billion operating budget for fiscal year 2021 includes 195 additional classroom teaching positions to address near historic enrollment increases and reduce class sizes as well as compensation increases for employees. More than 91 percent of the new positions in Arlotto’s recommendation are for employees who will have daily contact with students. The recommendation also contains 20 teaching assistants and permanent substitute positions, 11.2 cultural arts teaching positions and two elementary reading/language arts teachers.

Fifty-seven positions will staff the new Crofton High School, which will open in September for students in grades nine and 10. More positions will be allocated as the school adds a grade in each of the next two years.

AACPS is educating approximately 1,700 more students this year than it did just a year ago, the greatest year-to-year increase in an estimated 30 years. That's why Arlotto’s recommendation also funds the addition of nine school counselors, two school psychologists and a social worker to help meet the social and emotional needs of students. It also contains funding for 73.3 special and alternative education positions, 15 English language acquisition teachers, five bilingual teaching assistants and two bilingual facilitators.

Elementary schools in the four clusters still without the innovative Triple E program – Arundel, Old Mill, Severna Park and South River – will receive staffing and funding for the program under Arlotto’s recommendation. Positions also would be allocated to implement the program at Richard Henry Lee and Oakwood elementary schools, which could not begin the program this year due to constructed-related constraints.

Arlotto’s recommendation would add seven prekindergarten teachers and seven teaching assists to increase the number of full-day prekindergarten programs across the county; fund seven positions in the transportation division to enhance bus routing and communications with families and bus drivers; and add four custodial and two preventative maintenance technicians in the facilities division.

More than $34.4 million in Arlotto’s recommendation is dedicated to employee compensation increases. Pending the completion of negotiations with employee bargaining units, that is sufficient to provide the equivalent of a step increase for all eligible employees, a two percent cost-of-living increase for all employees and a back step for all eligible employees who were in an eligible bargaining unit or position in the 2011-2012 school year.

Arlotto’s $214.9 million capital budget recommendation includes $139 million for ongoing construction projects at Edgewater, Tyler Heights, Richard Henry Lee, Quarterfield, Hillsmere and Rippling Woods elementary schools; as well as Old Mill West High School.

The capital budget recommendation also contains:

• $9 million for full-day kindergarten and prekindergarten additions at Sunset and Van Bokkelen elementary schools
• $11 million for a classroom addition and cafeteria expansion at Arundel Middle School
• $3 million for the design of a new elementary school in west county, to be constructed on the west side of Route 3 in the vicinity of the Two Rivers community
• $4 million for the feasibility study and design of a new Old Mill Middle School South, to be built on the current Southgate/Old Mill Park