Tracy McGuire
Prince Frederick, MD – The Calvert County Board of Education (BOE) was scheduled to vote on its operating budget for fiscal year 2016 at their Thursday, April 23 work session. Instead, the five school board members absorbed the sobering news that the Calvert County Commissioners have cut $1.4 million from the original allocation, reducing the amount to the state-mandated maintenance of effort level.
“So, we have to go back to the drawing board,” said Superintendent of Schools Dr. Daniel Curry.
Board of Education President Tracy McGuire stated she was “very discouraged.”
McGuire then read a prepared statement into the record. “I think we should ask the Calvert County Commissioners to fund Calvert County’s public schools with sufficient funds to restore necessary positions cut by the superintendent’s proposed budget, allow the school system to stop deficit spending and allow a small pay raise for staff,” she stated. “The Calvert County Commissioners have policy options and tools to fund these modest goals.”
McGuire then proposed six courses of action for the BOE to consider in reducing the FY 2016 budget. The actions are to “eliminate all overtime and extra duty pay positions, increase fees for outside organization’s use of Calvert County Public Schools [CCPS] facilities, reduce transportation services to delivering students to and from school with consideration to eliminating bus routes where students walking is viable, charge fees for extracurricular activities, increase class sizes in all grade levels and eliminate programs offered to fewer than a minimum number of students.”
McGuire said after the meeting that the notice about the cut to the maintenance of effort level was received the previous day.
“They’ve [BOE] never brought us a budget,” Commissioner Mike Hart [R – District 1] told The Bay Net. “We’re ready to go. I will not spend additional taxpayer money until I see their budget.”
Hart noted that the commissioners are facing austere fiscal times and in order to plug the current $7 million budget hole, the board has four plausible options and one of them he completely opposes. “I am completely against raising taxes,” he said.
The three other options are county government staff reductions and/or furloughs, the use of reserve funds or borrowing additional money.
The county government’s projected revenues for FY 2016 total $233.13 million while expenditures for the next fiscal year add up to $239 million. Funding for education represents 52 percent of the county’s operating budget.
Forecasts for subsequent fiscal years prior to when the Dominion Cove Point Export project is anticipated to begin also indicate a deficit. While there are many reasons for the widening funding gap, Calvert’s fiscal officers have indicated the jurisdiction’s obligation to adhere to the accounting standards mandated by the Government Accounting Standards Board regarding Other Post-Employment Benefits (OPEB) might be the most significant.
“We’re in bad shape,” said Hart, who declared his “top priority” is assuring retired county government and CCPS employees always receive their pension checks.
“It’s going to affect our students tremendously,” said BOE Member Kelly McConkey of the funding cut. McConkey said he believes the decision likely marks the first time the Calvert County Commissioners have not “gone above and beyond” in their allocation to the school system.
As for maintaining CCPS’ quality of education, McGuire stated, “I don’t think we’ll have a sufficient amount of money.”
“It doesn’t happen because of the water,” said BOE Member William Phalen, who added when the budget is cut “you affect education.”
Curry promised the BOE they would proposals for a revised budget at the board’s May business meeting.
The county commissioners’ budget hearing is scheduled for May 19.
Contact Marty Madden at marty.madden@thebaynet.com