By and large, the Howard County schools community is in support of Superintendent Sydney Cousin's proposed $697 million 2013 operating budget, judging from the small group that turned out for a public hearing Tuesday, Jan. 31.
Only six people testified at the hearing, the only one before the board finalizes the request it will send to the County Council Feb. 21, and most spoke in favor of the proposal and of specific programs from which they or their children had benefited, such as the schools' Gifted/Talented Program.
Gary Toller, who spoke on behalf of the schools' Science Advisory Committee, said the committee supported adding a part-time school employee at the new Robinson Nature Center, as the liaison would strengthen environmental studies. The committee also praised the budget's support of science instruction through technology, Toller said.
"This budget maintains the initiative toward scientific excellence in schools, and a hands-on, inquiry-based approach to learning science," he said.
But not all the testimony was favorable. Donna Schultz, a paraeducator at Phelps Luck Elementary, denounced the budget proposal because it did not include more pay increases for school employees.
"There's an increasing demand on the jobs of para-professionals, and a reduction of time and resources made available," she said. "The only constant that seems to remain in our jobs is that we will continue to do these services for pauper's wages."
Members of the Howard County Education Association saw a half-step salary increase at the end of fiscal year 2011, and will see another half-step increase at the end of fiscal year 2012. But that raise is practically nullified, Schultz said, given the state of the economy, and the threat of increased pension costs.
"Here are some statistics: 1,600 of the 2,055 paraprofessionals in the county earn less than $40,000 and 1,100 earn less than $30,000," she said. "This is well below the poverty line for a family of four in Howard County."
HCEA President Paul Lemle said that Howard County schools should offer the best salaries in Maryland to attract the best educators in Maryland. A more pertinent issue, he said, is that of middle school staff, given that the board may soon approve a new middle school schedule that eliminates reading classes for many students.
After teachers decried an inequity in planning time included in an early proposal, a revised proposal included an administrative planning period for all teachers.
"(Middle school staffing) may need to be revisited in light of the agreement — in principle — to provide administrative planning time for all related arts teachers," Lemle said. "Central office staff originally projected this to have a significant cost, but then told the board that it would not have a cost impact. One of the only ways this is possible is to increase class sizes."
While Tuesday's was the only hearing, the board will still accept public input on the budget via email, board Chairwoman Sandra French said, and has four budget work sessions scheduled in the coming weeks: Thursday, Feb. 2 at 7 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 7 at 1 p.m., Feb. 14 at 7 p.m. and Feb. 16 at 1 p.m.
All of the work sessions, which will be held in the board room of the Department of Education building in Ellicott City, are open to the public.
