Howard School Board members want lawmakers to fully fund its school system, so it can continue closing achievement gaps and addressing renovation needs.
“If [the state lawmakers] cut what the state provides, it?ll have to come from the county,” said school system spokeswoman Patti Caplan.
The entire school board wrote a recent letter to the Howard delegation that was sparked by Gov. Martin O?Malley?s proposed cuts asa way to address the looming state deficit if his tax plan did not pass muster with lawmakers.
The Howard school system is dependent upon $5.8 million in state aid to support the Thornton Bridge to Excellence Plan, which allows the county to continue targeted programs for intervention and student support services to improve student performance on tests, board members wrote.
The Thornton plan includes an annual inflation factor for all school systems and in upcoming years would be the only mandated increase in state aid to public schools
“Not providing any inflation factor increase in each of the next two years, as proposed by the governor, would erode the progress we are making to raise student achievement by forcing us to choose between rising utility, health care, transportation and other costs ? instead of focusing on investments in the classrooms,” members wrote.
“Based upon the legislative commitment, the Howard County Public School System?s academic programs have already included additional staffing that depends upon the committed level of funding to sustain programs directed at closing achievement gaps.”
The school board members also wrote they are in “dire need of dedicated capital funding and are dependent upon state aid” for school construction projects.
In fiscal year 2008, the board requested $52.2 million from the Interagency Committee on Public School Construction, but received only $23.2 million, according to school officials.
In fiscal year 2009, the Howard school board submitted a capital budget request to the construction committee of $50.4 million and is again fearing it won?t receive the full amount.
