Baltimore County schools budget woes
At the school board's most recent meeting this week, the leadership presented its first look at how tight the budget may be next year. The forecasts aren't good, although it is difficult to tell yet how bad it will be.
The biggest problem ahead seems to be making up for $19 million in federal stimulus funds that won't be there next year. In the worst-case scenario, the county would see a 3.7 percent shortfall, or about $45 million.
The response by school board president Earnest E. Hines was to talk about the need to give the community information. He said there is a lot of "misinformation out there" about how much money is available. "There is no fruit in the basket and they are still asking for an air-conditioner," Hines said.
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Comments
Certainly all school systems will be facing economic woes and choices will need to be made; however, it is difficult to understand or feel sorry for a board that has put their seal of approval on millions of dollars of purchases (Little Brown Handbook, Linguistics- oh my!, Science Weekly, Outdated reprints of an English text, AND millions on American Reading Company products---all the same but using a different name as well as the untold resources given over to AIM for several years (think of the time, human resources, and capital used to advance that debacle),,,All that money on unproven, ineffective products that have not advanced the cause of quality education. Baltimore County is in a big mess...the board should feel deep regret for letting a few adults pull the wool over their eyes (by the way, the deception persists). Finally, I hope the board is not deceived about who owns the problems. Aren't they running out of people to blame? How long before you "see" the truth?
Posted by: Anonymous | October 22, 2010 5:58 PM
How much money wasgiven to the likes of American Reading Company ...LInguistics...Little Brown Handbook...
Science Weekly...AIM...etc.? How much money has been and continues to be paid to do the bidding of a small circle of people benefitting from the development and/or purchase of these products? When will the board hold the right people responsible? Ask the right questions and demand truth for a change.
Posted by: SE Teacher | October 23, 2010 9:02 AM
Perhaps they should have put the brakes on supporting the financial endeavors of their friends...the money was poorly spent to support the likes of AIM, American Reading Company, Linguistics, Science Weekly, Little Brown Handbook, to name but a few. Millions of dollars....what a shame! AND...it continues! Baltimore County, get your house in order! Current leadership including those who still do the bidding of an employee people thought retired should do the right thing and go away! Bring some sanity back so we can focus on providing children with the education they deserve. Hopefully, November 2nd will put people in place that will hold the board accountable for hiring a new superintendent so the right things will happen. The system has suffered enough...
Posted by: Teacher from the Southwest | October 23, 2010 9:01 PM
The saddest thing is that the lack of money will directly affect the students and affect those who really make the difference in the schools. The superintendent will still get his 250,000+ salary and Race to the Top funds will continue to be spent (as have millions of dollars to date) on throwing business to those inside the circle. It will take years to recover from the selfishness that has ruled BCPS, and still does. The emperor still has no clothes and even the "retired" one still pulls the strings!
Posted by: Anonymous | October 23, 2010 9:27 PM
Where did the stimulus money go? Follow the money.
Posted by: Anonymous | October 23, 2010 9:29 PM
This is embarrassing. Why stop all of the success that we have had over the past couple years with Dr. Alonso coming in and changing everything? We need to keep the budgets up for education. That is the only way we are going to fix the current economic state of the USA.
Posted by: Yoanna | October 26, 2010 10:28 AM
Stop giving money to American Reading Company...sooooo wasteful! Does the employee who sells these products have a connection to board members or the superintendent?
Posted by: SW Teacher | October 26, 2010 7:44 PM
@Yoanna -
Baltimore county... Not Baltimore City. Alonso = the city.
Posted by: a parent | October 27, 2010 8:01 PM
And look at how they plan on wasting the Race to the Top money! The Board is shamefully lacking in leadership or oversight of a superintendent run amuck with power and ego.
Posted by: Steinbeck2 | October 29, 2010 12:17 AM
We also have a school system that apparently resents any profit motive or capitalism since it insists on enforcing its stupidd, stupid, STUPID policy of not allowing an outside vendor to make a profit on school property. As a result, PTA and athletic booster events must be held off campus, including the Catonsville Comets Booster Club bingo at Our Lady of Victory school on 11/6 and the Annual Craft Fair on 11/13 (at Mt. DeSales).
Posted by: Mar | October 29, 2010 2:35 PM
To save money.... as our grandparents used to say..."Turn off the lights" when you are not in a room. Has anyone noticed that all our State and County government buildings and schools have at the end of the day, all their lights on on every floor of their buildings until late evening. Simple answer" Motion detector light switches with manual over-rides" simple but highly effective... Governor O'Malley, Please consider the cost of leaving the lights on after work hours each day vrs, installing motion sensitive light switches? A state auditor who can verify these types of saving could be quite useful in reducing State overhead without reducing necessary public services
Posted by: M | November 19, 2010 8:39 AM