Here's what the O'Malley administration says in the budget document it released this week: 

"Even in these difficult times, we continue to support the tremendous progress Maryland’s children, teachers, and parents are making in our classrooms.

"Because we believe that our children’s future and the strength of tomorrow’s workforce depend on the investments we make today, we are fully funding Thornton and proposing a $5.4 billion investment in K-12 education – a $68.3 million increase over Fiscal Year 2009."

Here's what it doesn't mention: The Baltimore Sun's Liz Bowie and Laura Smitherman report today that the state is pumping an additional $130 million this year into the teacher pension fund but actually decreasing operating budget support for the state's schools to the tune of $69 million. So technically, yes, spending on education is incresasing by $68.3 million, but the amount actually going to classrooms around the state is going down, in some districts, considerably. (It's a bit reminiscent of the infamous Ehrlich press conference in which his administration monkeyed with the numbers in his slots bill. Or the one where they did the same thing for their BGE rate relief plan.)

After several years of record-setting increases in classroom spending as a result of the Thornton education formula, this is the first time in memory that schools have been faced with these kinds of cuts.

Baltimore City Schools chief Andres Alonso isn't mincing words about what this means, calling it "the effective rollback of Thornton."

"It’s economizing on the backs of the neediest students in the state," he said.

Here's the effect on school districts throughout the state. (Note that the impact falls on them very differently based on a complex formula involving enrollment projections, property values, etc., so some districts, notably Montgomery County, come out ahead.)

(Here's a new, abbreviated version of the chart so it will fit on the screen.)