School Budget Battle Looms: Teacher Layoffs, Furloughs On the Table

Staff layoffs or furloughs at county schools could be needed if the county succeeds in getting an exemption from school funding requirements by the state, Anne Arundel County Schools Superintendent Kevin Maxwell said Wednesday.

Speaking before the county board of education, Maxwell said a successful waiver of the so-called “maintenance of effort” rule would force the school system to find $25 million worth of cuts, with the elimination of teacher positions and the suspension of some magnet and STEM programs under consideration. 

“It’s those kinds of things we would have to have a discussion about, and say ‘what kinds of things can we really afford to do?’” Maxwell said.

County Executive John R. Leopold has filed for an exemption from funding $15 million of the $968 million budget for FY 2012. The state’s “maintenance of effort” rule requires counties to spend as much on a per-pupil basis as it did the previous year, and a drop in $15 million would place county schools under that threshold.

If the county does fall below state funding requirements, it might not be eligible for $9.5 million in state aid, resulting in a $25 million total cut. School officials said they would lobby the state for aid even if minimum spending rules are not met.

Leopold has said the cuts are needed to close an estimated $75 million budget gap for the county.

The board of education approved the budget in February. Leopold will present his own version of the budget on April 15 to the county council, which has final say.

The school board Wednesday voted to oppose the maintenance of effort waiver request.

“Our business is to educate children, and it costs money to do that,” said Deborah Ritchie, the board member representing District 31. “Education is a big chunk, and you either pay in the front, or you pay in the back.”

Leopold has sought to frame the debate as one over pay, as Maxwell’s proposed budget included the funding of negotiated salary increases for teachers and other staff even as other county workers have been paid the same or less.

"The county executive is providing a funding level that does not necessitate any layoffs or furloughs for the school system," said Dave Abrams, Leopold's spokesman. "Moreover, the request that the school system is making [the increase] is entirely made up of pay increases." Abrams added that since county employees are seeing a 4.6 percent reduction in their pay and benefits this year, that Leopold believes it's "inappropriate for school system employees to have raises."

But board members said they fully anticipated any raises being eliminated in the final budget anyway, and that a waiver of the state’s funding requirement would require cuts elsewhere.

“We were already at no raises,” said board vice president Teresa Birge. “Let’s see where we go from there. This is going to have a direct impact on the quality of instruction in Anne Arundel County.”

Board members said they were particularly angry that Leopold did not indicate he would seek a waiver of funding requirements until last week.

“We weren’t told until the eleventh hour that this was going to occur,” at-large board member Andrew Pruski said. “I find it disconcerting that as board members, we’d receive the information this late. When you’re not communicating with this board, you’re doing a disservice to students.”

Board member Victor Bernson, representing Districts 33A and 33B, said the school board should examine the issue of teacher pay and union benefits, noting that payroll costs made up more than 80 percent of the schools budget.

“No cuts, ever. What kind of nonsense is that?” he said.

School officials responded that the school system was already in negotiations with teachers and other workers on new agreements.

School officials said the entire $25 million in savings could be found through the layoff of 350 teachers and other staff. But they said it's more likely there would be smaller cuts made in many different areas. Speaking theoretically, Maxwell and other school officials said $2.7 million could be saved for each day of furloughs. More than $900,000 could be saved by delaying the launch of the BioMedical and Allied Health Magnet Program at Glen Burnie High School. Other money could be saved by suspending the STEM program at South River High School for one year.  

"We're looking to finalize a list of these things as we speak," Maxwell said.

The school board Wednesday voted against a motion allowing the Citizen Advisory Committee to lobby the county council against the cuts. CAC President Joanna Conti said she had preliminary results of a survey showing concern by residents over the impact of the proposed cuts. She said she will present the results to the council at its April 19 meeting.

“We will have some extra information to add to the discussion,” said Conti, who was defeated by Leopold in the race for county executive in November.