Budget would increase class size
Language program cut, board cites worry over health care fund deficit
The Howard County school board has advanced a $906.8 million budget request that — if approved by the county executive and County Council — would increase class sizes and eliminate an elementary school language program.
The budget request is 10 percent larger than this year’s allocation, and brings to an end the first phase of what school board chairwoman Cindy Vaillancourt described as an “agonizing process” to balance spending and address a prolonged deficit in the system’s health care fund.
County Executive Allan Kittleman, who will include a budget allocation for schools in April as part of the county’s overall spending plan before sending it to the County Council, said in a statement that education “has always been my priority and continues to be so.”
Yet his statement also noted that “the difficult budget choices before the [school board] now are a direct result of its lack of appropriate fiscal management of their health and dental fund over the past 10 years.”
After Kittleman presents his budget plan in April, the County Council will vote on the final plan by the end of May.
Last year Kittleman cut the school system’s $626 million request for county funds by $54 million. State funding and other sources also factor in overall allocations for the school system.
Kittleman has said this will “not be an easy year” for the county budget, as the county faces a decline in revenue growth.
The package approved by the school board calls for an increase in class sizes by one student for first through 12th grades and elimination of the county’s elementary world language program, offered in eight elementary schools.
Superintendent Michael Martirano, who had introduced the cut in a recent budget proposal to allocate more money to pay off the school system’s deficit, said that he hopes many of the program’s 33 teachers can be reassigned, but that it was not a guarantee that all would keep their jobs.
As she fought back tears, board member Sandra French called the elimination of the program “drastic.”
“You’re advocating, your explanations have to be understandable to the general public,” French said. “This is one where parents and children will just not understand.”
Nine elementary world language teachers attended the board meeting.
Andrew Bell, a Spanish teacher at Waverly Elementary, said it was “sad” to see the program cut from an age that he said is critical for foreign language skills development. He said he didn’t think See BUDGET, page 6
The budget request is 10 percent larger than this year’s allocation, and brings to an end the first phase of what school board chairwoman Cindy Vaillancourt described as an “agonizing process” to balance spending and address a prolonged deficit in the system’s health care fund.
County Executive Allan Kittleman, who will include a budget allocation for schools in April as part of the county’s overall spending plan before sending it to the County Council, said in a statement that education “has always been my priority and continues to be so.”
Yet his statement also noted that “the difficult budget choices before the [school board] now are a direct result of its lack of appropriate fiscal management of their health and dental fund over the past 10 years.”
After Kittleman presents his budget plan in April, the County Council will vote on the final plan by the end of May.
Last year Kittleman cut the school system’s $626 million request for county funds by $54 million. State funding and other sources also factor in overall allocations for the school system.
Kittleman has said this will “not be an easy year” for the county budget, as the county faces a decline in revenue growth.
The package approved by the school board calls for an increase in class sizes by one student for first through 12th grades and elimination of the county’s elementary world language program, offered in eight elementary schools.
Superintendent Michael Martirano, who had introduced the cut in a recent budget proposal to allocate more money to pay off the school system’s deficit, said that he hopes many of the program’s 33 teachers can be reassigned, but that it was not a guarantee that all would keep their jobs.
As she fought back tears, board member Sandra French called the elimination of the program “drastic.”
“You’re advocating, your explanations have to be understandable to the general public,” French said. “This is one where parents and children will just not understand.”
Nine elementary world language teachers attended the board meeting.
Andrew Bell, a Spanish teacher at Waverly Elementary, said it was “sad” to see the program cut from an age that he said is critical for foreign language skills development. He said he didn’t think See BUDGET, page 6
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