Maxwell’s Proposed Budget Avoids Layoffs, Furloughs

For the second consecutive year, the proposed Anne Arundel County Public Schools budget avoids layoffs and furloughs while increasing requested funding in areas such as textbooks and cutting more than $800,000 in existing programs and initiatives.

The proposed budget for the 2012 fiscal year increased $37.5 million, or 4 percent, to $968 million, with the bulk of the money going toward salaries, wages and benefits.

"[The proposed budget] fully funds the negotiated agreements with our four bargaining units and provides necessary funding for health care, increases in our two charter school enrollments and the addition of 20 mentor teachers required by [Maryland State Department of Education] regulations as part of Race To The Top," Superintendent Kevin M. Maxwell said Dec. 15 in a presentation to the .

"We have partially offset these increases with $800,000 in reductions from within our existing budget and have also recognized a $7 million reduction in grant-related expenses [from federal stimulus money]," he said.

The reduction in spending was determined by meeting with budget managers who were asked to look for ways money could be saved said Alex Szachnowicz, chief operating officer. Types of cuts ranged from deferring the replacement of equipment to cutting subscriptions to academic journals.

"If you go through a $9 million budget that way it all adds up," Szachnowicz said.

The budget proposed by Maxwell provisions $1.3 million for 20 mentor teachers, positions that need to be created in order to establish the maximum ration of mentors to mentees in the county.

Other than the mentor teacher positions and the positions created by the expansion of the county's charter schools, Maxwell said the county would not increase the number of general fund positions for the third year in a row.

"I am fully aware of the stress this adds to our system, but I have faith in the abilities of our employees to continue to weather this storm," he said.

Of the $157.4 million capital budget proposed, $46.7 million was allocated for ongoing construction projects at Northeast High School and Belle Grove, Folger McKinsey and elementary schools. About $9.4 million is allocated for the modernization of the current Germantown facility, which will house Phoenix Annapolis students.

"We will develop and environment that will not only allow us to bring back students currently in non-public placements to address their needs locally and at a significantly lower cost, but will create 120 seats for our county's first comprehensive alternative school," Maxwell said.

Money for feasibility studies and design was included for Lothian, Crofton, Mills-Parole, Rolling Knolls, Benfield and West Annapolis elementary schools and design funding for Severna Park High School.

Other high-priority capital projects include:

• $9 million to enclose open-space classrooms at schools such as Broadneck, Four Seasons and Severn elementary schools
• $11 million for permanent classroom additions for full-day kindergarten and prekindergarten classes
• $14 million to replace textbooks and "consumables" such as workbooks and science lab kits

Maxwell noted that the budget did not allow for the school system to fund the two new magnet programs—Performing and Visual Arts at Brooklyn Park Middle School and BioMedical Allied Health at .

"We will launch them for sixth- and ninth-graders next year, respectively," he said. "However we will do so utilizing existing school system resources."

At-large board member Kevin L. Jackson said he was encouraged by Maxwell's presentation and hopes to work with the many new county council members going forward in the budget process.

"Working to help our county council understand all of the complexities associated with the budget is going to be important," he said. "I look forward to, now, rolling my sleeves up and getting into the numbers ... because the proof is in the numbers."

Maxwell praised the successes of the school system, including the designation of five middle and elementary schools that were designated at model program schools by the American School Counselor Association and the 61 educators who became National Board Certified earlier that day.

"We have endured challenges and struggles and there will be more to come," he said. "I believe, however, that we are better today than we were five years ago and that our students have more opportunities to achieve and excel today than ever before."

The full budget, budget-in-brief and a copy of Maxwell's remarks all are available online.

The Board of Education will hold two public hearings for residents who wish to speak about the budget Jan. 11 at Old Mill High School and Jan 13 in the boardroom at the Parham Building in Annapolis. Both hearings begin at 7 p.m. with those who wish to testify able to sign up beginning at 6 p.m.

A public workshop also will be held at 6 p.m. Jan. 25 in the Parham Building. Public testimony will not be taken at the workshop.

Editor's Note: This story has been revised. An earlier version had the improper spelling of the last name of Alex Szachnowicz, chief operating officer. It also incorrectly stated which budget would fund the purchase of new textbooks and construction. It would be funded by the capital budget.