The Baltimore City School Board of Commissioners approved the nearly $1.2 billion final operating budget presented Tuesday evening by interim schools chief Charlene Boston’s staff. The cost of salaries and benefits represents 70 percent of the total budget.

The budget marks an increase of more than $78 million over last year, despite a decrease of $8 million in federal and state grants. But it has received an increase of $86 million in state aid.

School board Chairman Brian Morris said previously that an additional $12 million has been directed toward school safety, some of which will go toward hiring 25-30 more uniformed school police officers. The school system now employs 100 sworn police officers and 100 school resource officers and hall monitors.

New initiatives include lowering class sizes at the elementary and middle school level.

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“I like the fact that they’re putting more money into middle schools,” said Michael Carter, chair of the city school system’s Parent Community Advisory Board, commenting on recent changes to the proposed budget presented to the school board two weeks ago. “They’ve also pledged to go from providing pre-K programs in eight schools to 16, which is not enough, but a a step in the right direction.”

Carter noted that more than three-quarters of the budget consists of fixed costs, leaving comparatively little room for discretionary spending without additional funding.

Linda Muhammad, a leader of Baltimore’s Parents Organizing Parents and a parent of a kindergartner at Govans Elementary School, said she agreed that increasing pre-K across the city was necessary.

“It’s very important,” Muhammad said. “It needs to be expanded to every student.”

rcassie@baltimoreexaminer.com