The logic is notoriously flawed, but the leadership of Harford County Public Schools seems intent on following the same course of action it has taken for the past several years, somehow wishing for different results.
The school system's administration recently presented a $450.9 million spending plan for the next school and fiscal year that begins July 1, 2015, which would oblige the county government to increase its current allocation to the schools by $26.3 million.
Around this time last year, the school system made a similarly large funding request from the county. While the school system eventually received an increase in county funding last year, it was less than 10 percent of what it requested.
What is most telling about the situation the school system finds itself in is the level of funding school officials anticipate coming from the state and the reasons behind the state's allocation.
Very roughly speaking, about half of the school system's money comes from the state, with most of the rest coming from the county and a fraction coming from other sources (like federal programs and grants). This year, the school system is anticipating a decrease of $2.3 million from the state.
Two factors are behind the state's decrease, one of which is that enrollment in Harford County is down this year, albeit slightly as a percentage, but it has been declining annually for most of the last 10 years. Harford school officials argue, with some merit, that fixed costs like heating the schools don't change because enrollment is down. In addition, some of that anticipated $2.3 million reduction in state funding is based on the county's relative wealth and the notion that the local government (according to the state) has ample tax revenue to make up the difference – a point of contention with both school and elected officials in Harford.
From the county's perspective, the proposed school system request for the year ahead is a lot like the one requested last year insofar as it would require the county to make substantial cuts to the other agencies it funds, from the sheriff's office and county roads to the libraries and Harford Community College.
The reason is simple. At $496 million in the current fiscal year, the county's general operating budget is comparable in size to the school system's. The increase requested by school officials in that budget was comparable to what they have requested this year, but at the same time, the county treasury was actually anticipating a reduction in revenue. County officials said at the time such a request for the schools was unrealistic, and the allocation was increased approximately $1.5 million, not $24 million.
It's reasonable to expect the county's budget situation to be comparable to what it was last year as increases in county revenue are driven by increases in property values and salaries, both of which have been up only incrementally.
There is one big difference, however. A new regime is in place at the county level, one whose leader, County Executive Barry Glassman, has proclaimed that increasing salaries for county and school employees is a priority. Many of the county council members, both newly elected and holdovers from the previous council, have made similar statements. The question that remains is where is all this money going to come from?
Make no mistake. The school system is not in an enviable position. Just as the county government has experienced fiscal difficulties in the recent lean economic years, the school system has real financial problems to deal with, among them issues with fixed costs and expensive program mandates imposed by the state government.
Management of the school system, however, is not simply adding up the costs of everything that needs to be spent and everything that would be nice to spend and expecting to get an allocation for the full amount. In nearly every budget, no matter how lean, there are dollars to be saved, projects to be delayed and priorities to be realigned.
But, as has often been noted previously in this space at this time of the year, the school system still needs to take more seriously the financial realities facing the governments that pay its bills, namely the county and the state. This doesn't mean making symbolic and high profile – low revenue moves like charging for participation in extracurricular activities, either. It means taking a serious look at things like the ratio of support personnel to actual classroom teachers and making meaningful proposals about things like whether it makes sense to consolidate schools.
The mission isn't easy, but it is more likely to yield meaningful results than simply making requests for relatively massive increases only to have those requests denied year after year after year.