Schools Superintendent Dr. Kevin Maxwell Echoes Auditors Budget Concerns

Anne Arundel County Public School Superintendent Dr. Kevin M. Maxwell issued the following statement regarding the County Council’s deliberations on the Fiscal Year 2012 operating and capital budgets:

“In the wake of the County Auditor’s comments today warning of dire fiscal constraints if the County Council chooses to decrease its revenue stream in this budget, it is very important that all citizens of our county understand just how much is at stake. This is not an issue of funding just for the current year. The decisions made today have significant ramifications down the road as well, and the domino effect could shake the very foundation of our school system.

“We believe the County Executive’s FY2012 operating budget proposal does not fund our school system at the level required by the state’s Maintenance of Effort law. In fact, county funding is $6.3 million below this year’s level. Should the Council force more cuts upon our school system, we face programmatic cuts that will steer our county away from the innovative progress it has made in recent years. With an additional 1,000 students projected again next year, class sizes – already set to rise because we have not added new general fund positions for three years – would increase dramatically. Further, I worry that the progress we have made to date will be curtailed, and perhaps reversed.

“The Bio-Medical Allied Health magnet program set to launch next fall at Glen Burnie High School could be delayed, and we would have to take a hard look at whether our next round of signature programs could be launched as scheduled. Such moves, I fear, would regrettably send a signal to our business and community partners that their work in helping to establish these programs of rigor and relevance has been in vain.

“The capital budget picture is even more bleak. Should the county take a $70 million hit in its funding level, as the County Auditor warned, school construction projects could be delayed for years or even decades. The compounding effect means that we may never see the $1.5 billion maintenance backlog eradicated in our lifetime.

“The County currently has seven school renovation projects in its six-year plan. A cut on the scale described by the County Auditor would likely allow only for projects currently under way to continue, slash our ability to obtain state construction funding, and push almost all projects not yet started into the abyss of uncertainty.

“Our county’s quality of life is dependent largely on the quality of our school system. We are one of the best systems in a state rated No. 1 in the nation in education for the last three years. If we want to continue to attract people and businesses to our county, and, more importantly, if we want to continue our quest to help every single child achieve his or her full potential, we must continue to invest the money necessary to do so.”