School board passes budget
$1.12B includes raises, 100 new jobs; $243M in capital spending OK'd
The Anne Arundel County Board of Education approved its $1.12 billion fiscal year 2017 operating budget Wednesday, allocating money for a pay increase for school staff, $10 million to replenish the health care fund and 100 additional school positions.
The board also approved $243 million for the capital budget, including design money toward the replacement of aging elementary schools and a new high school in Crofton.
The board did not make changes to the school operating and capital budgets passed by the County Council on June 15. The operating budget is about $6 million more than the state minimum requirement, according to school officials.
School board President Stacy Korbelak said the budget was the “most generous we've seen in a decade” and was the result of advocacy and collaboration among the school community and county leaders.
Still, some school employees might not see the salary increase when the 2017 fiscal year starts July 1.
Three unions have not reached an agreement with the school system on compensation, said Melisa Rawles, director of employee relations. The Teachers Association of Anne Arundel County is headed to impasse, which requires mediation.
The Association of Educational Leaders and the Secretaries Association of Anne Arundel County also have not reached agreements with the school board.
Employees in the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees union, which represents custodians and groundskeepers, will receive a step increase starting July 1 under their agreement with the board. School staff not represented by a union will also receive a step increase.
The teachers union has been campaigning at public events and online for higher pay and more money for schools. The new positions in the operating budget include 10 additional teachers to reduce the size of classes and 33 teachers to keep up with growing enrollment.
Chief Operating Officer Alex Szachnowicz said class sizes grew during the recession because the school system could not hire enough teachers to accommodate the growing student population.
The fiscal 2017 budget will also pay for teachers to help students with language and other special needs.
The school system will pay for six special-education teachers, four English language acquisition teachers, an interpreter and three bilingual facilitators.
The budget will not fully pay for all of the expected health care costs of the school system, according to school officials.
The board initially asked for $20 million to pay for rising health care costs; school officials said the County Council helped close the health care gap when it moved money from the health care fund balance to other parts of the school budget in past years. Council members said the fund had excess money at the time.
Schools spokesman Bob Mosier said the system will have to redesign the employee health care plan to make up the difference between the expenses and available funds.
The operating budget includes $593,650 for pay increases for home and hospital, evening school and summer school teachers.
The capital budget includes money for feasibility studies and partial design for projects at Edgewater, Tyler Heights and Richard Henry Lee elementary schools, all of which topped a 2015 study that prioritized construction needs for county schools.
The capital budget also allocates funds for construction design at Crofton High School, a $124 million project set to open around 2020.
Under County Executive Steve Schuh's long-term plan, which emerged after weeks of advocacy from teachers and parents, all three elementary schools are on track to open for the 2021-2022 school year.
The accelerated timeline is paid for through a combination of state money, casino revenue and dollars previously allotted to technology improvements.
The new Severna Park High School, which is expected to open next year, and a number of other schools will receive construction money.