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Council ponies up $1.7 million in school funding denied by state
BALTIMORE -
The Howard County school board won’t have to make even more budget cuts, because the County Council filled a $1.7 million hole left by a shortfall in state funding. “I think it’s a realistic level of funding for the school system,” said Superintendent Sydney Cousin. The council trimmed capital budget bond funding from projects, such as technology system upgrades, to find the funding to be distributed among capital projects. Now the school system must grapple with the $3.5 million less than it requested in its fiscal 2009 capital budget. The council also added $50,000 to the school budget for systemic renovations, including heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems, a move pushed by Council Chairwoman Courtney Watson, D-District 1. Watson couldn’t muster support to find at least $773,000 for so-called life safety renovations such as fire alarms. Cousin said these fire and alarm systems work but they need to be replaced. “It’s not dire but it’s going to come back again,” he said. The council agreed to move $27 million for Mount Hebron High School renovations from a contingency fund. The school system is receiving $657 million in its fiscal 2009 operating budget — still $4 million less than school officials had requested. The school system will have to eliminate 27 new staffing positions advocated by the school board, including 10 middle school technology teachers, a communications specialist, work-study teacher, occupational therapist, Web TV specialist and psychologist, said Ray Brown, the school system’s chief operating officer. These new positions will be considered for inclusion in next year’s budget request, school board Chairman Frank Aquino said. smichael@baltimoreexaminer.com jkowalkowski@baltimoreexaminer.com |
