The Garrett County commissioners issued a statement during their public session on Tuesday concerning the local Board of Education's fiscal year 2013 funding woes. About 50 local residents turned out to hear the announcement.
Commission board chair Jim Raley prefaced the statement reading by noting that he and the other two commissioners have attended all the BOE public hearings regarding the possible closures of Dennett Road, Friendsville, and Kitzmiller elementary schools.
"It is important to understand that while the state of Maryland has cut funding to education in Garrett County due to the wealth factor formula and the declining student population, the county has increased funding in excess of requirements known as the maintenance of effort by $860,000," Commissioner Gregan Crawford read from the statement. "In fiscal year 2012, the Board of Education funding level was reduced by the state by $1.5 million, while Garrett County increased funding by $1.7 million, which is equivalent to all new tax revenue due the county."
The commissioners noted that they recognize the serious financial situation that the BOE faces and that closing schools requires complex decisions that will have long-term implications on communities.
"The commissioners also recognize and emphasize that the issue and actions regarding school budgets, closure of schools, and the overall decisions about our school system rest in the elected members of the Board of Education," Crawford read. "Any action on the part of the board of commissioners as the funding sources is not intended to usurp their difficult decisions."
The statement notes that Garrett County government has also experienced a financial shortfall and that there are numerous challenges to securing funding for public services for residents, property owners, and visitors.
"Initial estimates reveal that the county real estate values have declined for FY 2012 and likely will result in a loss of $1.4 million in revenues to the county," Crawford read. "Therefore, we are willing and open to increase county government's financial appropriation to the Garrett County public school system, but are unable to provide a solid figure at this time, due to several variables."
In the mean time, he indicated, the commissioners will do the following:
• Encourage the BOE to review retirement incentives in order to encourage retirements that will allow for the reduction of staff numbers without eliminating the jobs of new employees.
• Encourage the BOE to collaborate with the county to identify areas where overlapping services and practices may be consolidated and/or reduced in order to mitigate costs related to maintenance of effort.
• Encourage the BOE to continue to engage the public, central office staff, instructional staff, and administrative personnel for input in ways to enhance and maximize operations, as well as consider all options and proposals that can generate savings.
• Provide and direct additional funding, within affordability parameters, thus allowing the BOE the opportunity to look at a long-range vision of school needs based on projected enrollments and community interests as contained in the reports to be presented by the school communities.
• Support legislation (SB 586/HB 660) proposed by Sen. George Edwards and Del. Wendell Beitzel to cap the loss of state funding to any school district to a 5.5 percent limit.
Raley asked for the public's help in getting SB 586/HB 660 passed in the Maryland General Assembly.
"We need to inundate the legislative folks with calls, comments, e-mails on that bill," Raley said. "We need to give that bill some momentum."
More here.
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