$139.3M Increase In School Budget Passes Howard County Education Board

HOWARD COUNTY, MD — The Howard County Board of Education has unanimously adopted its operating and capital budget requests for the 2022-2023 school year, which totals $1.1 billion, a $139.3 million or 14.5 percent increase from the fiscal year 2022 operating budget.

The budget will be submitted to the county executive this week and the county executive will hold public hearings followed by the submission of his proposed budget to the County Council. The County Council then will hold a series of public hearings and work sessions before final adoption of the county budget. Following Council action, the board of education will make any necessary adjustments to account for revenue impacts and adopt the final fiscal year 2023 operating and capital budgets.

The board’s request reflects the school system’s funding needs to begin implementing Maryland's Blueprint for the Future and continue providing students the support necessary to advance their education in the face of the challenges created by the pandemic.

The request for county funding totals $757.4 million, which is $116.6 million, or 18.2 percent over fiscal year 2022. State revenues in the budget total $321.1 million, an increase of $38.6 million, or 13.7 percent, driven by required increases in per pupil funding enacted by the Blueprint. The balance of revenues to fund the board’s budget request come from federal and other sources, and use of fund balance. Federal and other revenues total $6.9 million and use of fund balance is $11.6 million.

"It is so critical that the board of education articulate the needs of the school system and request funding to address critical shortage areas,” Vicky Cutroneo, chair of the board of education, said. “The COVID-19 pandemic has further exacerbated and shone a light on the many areas of our system where we are severely understaffed. We must prioritize these investments to ensure our students and families receive the wraparound services they need to be successful.”

The fiscal year 2023 request includes funding to meet board obligations that include staff compensation, increased salaries, additional positions to support the scheduled opening of the district's new high school in the fall of 2023 and to implement the Blueprint legislation. The request also includes funding to sustain and strengthen educational, behavioral health and well-being supports in response to student needs that have increased due to the pandemic.

The board advanced the superintendent’s recommended fiscal year 2023 budget with the following new additions:

• Implementation of a K-12 Digital Education Center
• Reduction of class sizes by one at every grade level
• Increased support for special education
• Elimination of sprinkling in elementary schools
• Advancement of the initiative to adjust school start times
• Increase synchronous learning opportunities for students

Budget requests include:

• $6.4 million and 65 positions to shore up critical areas in health and well-being services and instructional support
• $7.0 million and 144 positions to further address critical shortages in special education staffing to build on the system’s record growth advanced for special education over the last several budget years
• $26.8 million for technology, including 15 positions, student devices, classroom technology, specialized instructional technology, networking and security
• $4.6 million and 42 positions to sustain enhanced air filtration measures and increased maintenance and cleaning of schools

The proposal includes the following for the Blueprint:

• $16 million to increase teacher compensation including compensation for teachers achieving the professional distinction of National Board Certification
• $7.1 million and 143.2 positions to begin the expansion to full-day prekindergarten for 3- and 4-year-olds
• $4.7 million and 40 positions to support college and career readiness efforts and expand dual enrollment participation
• $2.1 million and 15 positions to build organizational capacity to meet Blueprint governance, accountability, and reporting requirements.