Prince Frederick, MD – The general fund budget for the next fiscal year (FY) as recommended by Calvert County Government staff was presented to the public Tuesday evening, March 21 at a hearing held at Calvert Pines Senior Center. While the proposed FY 2018 budget is significantly higher than the current fiscal year’s spending plan—totaling $281.8 million—and is currently balanced, the panel that will make the final decision took criticism was several speakers at the hearing.
Most of the flak directed toward the Calvert County Commissioners came from the speakers who had high praise for the local public school system’s teachers. At issue is the lack of funding needed for Calvert County Public Schools (CCPS) officials to fully restore pay step increases that had been previously negotiated.
In a memo to the county commissioners, Department of Finance and Budget Deputy Director Joan Thorp stated that the revenues that fund the budget “increased by approximately $35 million in comparison with the FY 2017 adopted general fund budget. There are two main reasons for the increase—in FY 2018 we will receive the first payment in lieu of taxes (PILOT) payment from the Dominion expansion. This payment is about $25 million more than the public utility tax we received in FY 2017. Most of the remaining $10 million is increased revenue from real property and income tax increases over FY 2017 levels.”
Finance and Budget Department officials stated the increased revenues will be used for contributions to county government and CCPS employees’ benefit trusts, road paving, land preservation, deferred infrastructure work and equipment replacement.
Thorp noted that county government is providing $119.8 million for CCPS, which is $5.6 million above the state-mandated maintenance of effort level. During his remarks at the public hearing, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Daniel Curry stated the Calvert County Board of Education was requesting $122.05 million from the commissioners. Curry stated that the county’s additional revenue from the Dominion Cove Point project would make that possible.
In making the case for allocating more funds to restore CCPS employee pay steps, proponents, many of them clad in red T-shirts reading “RE$PECT” on the back, first crowded a shopping center sidewalk along West Dares Beach Road and then packed the senior center auditorium. Speaking as a private citizen who moved his family to Calvert in the mid-1990s, Gary Mazurek declared “outstanding teachers have a huge impact on the future earning power of our students.” He told the commissioners “do not blame teachers’ [pay] step increases for future tax increases.”
Calvert Education Association President Dennis Mooney stated the board of county commissioners “hasn’t taken a single step” to restore the pay increases for years served promised to the county’s public school teachers when they were initially hired. Mooney noted that many frustrated teachers are leaving Calvert and seeking employment elsewhere.
“Honor the board of education’s request,” said Rev. Jennifer Weller, who stated she is a former teacher. “Do the moral thing. Please don’t make excuses.”
While a few speakers stated they would prefer a property tax increase as a way to restore teachers’ promised pay steps, Southern Maryland Association of Realtors’ spokeswoman Theresa Kuhns declared such an action would hurt homeowners trying to recover from the 2008 economic recession. “Many people lost their jobs—not their steps—their jobs,” said Kuhns, who lives in Calvert County.
A second public hearing related to the commissioners’ proposed operating budget will be held in May.
For more information on the FY 2018 staff recommended budget, click on this link.
PHOTOS FROM THE CALVERT EDUCATION ASSOCIATION FACEBOOK PAGE
Contact Marty Madden at marty.madden@thebaynet.com