School board satisfied with budget funding

BALTIMORE (Map, News) - Howard school board members and officials received most of what they sought during the budget process, but many expressed concern Tuesday about the future.

The Board of Education adopted its fiscal 2009 $657.1 million operating and $80.47 million capital budget Tuesday.

The operating budget is an increase of about $43 million from last year, largely to fund salary and benefit increases from negotiations with teacher and other labor unions. The capital budget is a decrease of about $200,000 from last year.

“Considering the economic times, I think we did pretty well — $657 million is a lot of money, we asked for $661 million,” board member Larry Cohen said.

The school system is adding more than 150 positions, including more than 60 for classroom instruction and more than 40 for special education, officials said.

The starting teacher salary will increase from $42,407, fourth in the state, to $44,527 for next school year, officials said.

“I’m thrilled with the budget,” said board member Sandra French, specifically about the additional positions.

“Every child should see tiny [decreases] in their class sizes.”

On the capital side, school officials expressed the most concern, because the school board had requested $113.8 million — and ended up with $30 million less.

A $27 million allocation toward the Mount Hebron High School renovation project was notably funded, but a renovation and addition project to use the old Cedar Lane School for offices and recreational space and a construction of a new maintenance facility were unfunded.

 In the future, capital requests will hover around $120 million, officials said.

“The years 2010 and beyond are going to be challenges because the county, in many ways, is making up for the shortfall in state funding,” Superintendent Sydney Cousin said.

jkowalkowski@baltimoreexaminer.com

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