Kelsey Volkmann, The Examiner
2008-01-28 08:00:00.0
Current rank: Not ranked

BALTIMORE -

Teachers continue to win big with Thornton education funding, with school districts spending an additional $1.85 billion on salaries and benefits compared with seven years ago, a new report shows.

From 2001 to 2007, schools hired 8,274 more teachers, an increase of 15.3 percent, according to a Thornton analysis by MGT of America.

The number of students per teacher, as a result, decreased statewide from 15.9 pupils to 13.6.

When researchers asked superintendents for the best strategies for boosting test scores, 18 out of 24 pointed to hiring more qualified teachers as the key.

Some education advocates take issue with the majority of state aid going to teachers.

“Each school district received money for special education, English learners and poor students, that was the spirit of the law,” said Terrylynn Tyrell, education director for the nonprofit Advocates for Children and Youth, which called on lawmakers to investigate whether schools are violating the law and misspending education funds.

“Why then are the schools that are low-performing still low-performing?”

Matthew Joseph, executive director of the non-profit group, urged Senate President Mike Miller and House Speaker Michael Busch in a letter to “insert budget language ensuring that low-performing students have access to summer school, tutoring and other evidence-based interventions.”

But state education officials defended spending on teachers salaries as essential to improving schools.

“They ignore teachers and don’t count that money as support to low-performing students,” said Ann Chafin, assistant state superintendent, adding that school districts have the discretion to distribute the funding how they

see fit.

The Thornton funding plan, passed in 2002, was designed to equalize educational funding across school districts.

Since then, state aid to schools increased by $2 billion, local aid by $1.3 billion and federal aid by $1.7 million, the report says.

At a glance

Maryland schools spent or plan to spend:

» $2.1 billion on teachers

» $177 million on test-score analysis

» $163 million on education programs

» $100 million on tailored instruction

» $50 million on student interventions

» $28 million on teacher training

Source: MGT of America

kvolkmann@baltimoreexaminer.com