Standing in front ofBel Air High School ? one of Harford County?s oldest schools ? County Executive David Craig outlined his commitment Tuesday to funding capital projects that would improve the education infrastructure.
“This is the first in a series of announcements on how we are going to be spending the taxpayers of Harford County?s money,” Craig said.
He announced he was pledging $14 million to the public school system in this year?s budget, an 8 percent increase from the previous fiscal year.
But this represents only a fraction of the funds Craig expects spending on schools in the coming years.
He would like to spend almost $219 million on school capital improvement projects, including new buildings for Bel Air and Edgewood high schools, “modernization projects” for Joppatowne and Deerfield elementary schools, an addition at Aberdeen High School and a new elementary school in the Route 543 Corridor, according to a news release issued by Harford County government.
Craig?s purposed budget for 2006-07 would also fund a 10 percent increase in teacher pay, and $1.3 million dollars for intervention programs as part of the federal No Child Left Behind Act. “We need to keep good, quality teachers,” Craig said.
Referring to the lack of funds that Harford County got for school improvements from the state this past legislative session, Craig said, “It?s ironic that Baltimore City is closing four schools, and I have built four high schools, and they [Baltimore City] got more money.”
Keeping in mind the strain the base realignment of Aberdeen Proving Ground is going to put on Harford County?s school system, Craig said, “We have to get this done now.”
The Harford County Council must vote on Craig?s purposed budget by May 31.
