Wood-burning technology, deferral of software expenses and other ways to save money are being discussed as Harford County Public Schools officials review Superintendent Barbara Canavan's proposed $450.9 million operating budget request for the 2015-16 school year.
Canavan's budget calls for an increase of $24 million over the current budget, but anticipates about a $2 million decrease in current state funding. That in turns means the county is being asked to provide the schools with an additional $26 million for the new budget.
Although her staff says it is working to save money wherever possible, the reality is many costs continue to rise, among them special education, members of the Harford County Board of Education were told during a public work session on the budget Tuesday night
Budget requests for a variety of services funded through the operating budget, such as operations and maintenance of school facilities, safety and security and special education, were discussed.
The board also reviewed the $96.3 million capital budget request; however, no one from the general public made any comments during the work session about either budget proposal.
"We're really looking holistically at how we do business, the systems we put in the buildings and what that will mean for the operating budget down the road," Patti Jo Beard, HCPS' executive director of facilities management, said.
She said her office is working with schools on multiple ways to save money on energy and operating costs, such as composting waste in kitchens and cafeterias, which lowers solid waste removal costs, working with custodians to reduce their supply costs, working with BGE to lower the use of electricity and gas and even applying to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources for grants to fund the implementation of alternative fuels such as wood-burning technology.
Beard noted wood-burning technology has been used in Pennsylvania and New England.
"In a lot of cases, we are piloting different techniques for fuels, for equipment that's out there," she said.
Bob Benedetto, head of safety and security, said he has been able to save some money by transferring some costs, such as software maintenance, to other departments, although some other costs, such as security and computer equipment, are increasing,
"We've been able to shift around funding to be frugal and use the money in the best ways," he said.
Officials in the school system's special education department expect their costs to increase in FY 2016, as they plan to hire several more teachers to support students with autism and expand the number of classrooms designed to serve students with autism from three to four.
Susan Austin, director of special education, said that, as of the first day of the 2014-2015 school year there were 607 HPCS students who fell on the "autism spectrum," which covers the range of brain development disorders that manifest themselves by affecting a child's ability to communicate and interact socially. HCPS has total enrollment of 37,441 students this year.
Children with autism spectrum disorders also exhibit various "repetitive behaviors," according to http://www.autismspeaks.org.
About one in 68 children in the U.S. are on the autism spectrum, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data cited on the Autism Speaks website.
"Right now, our classrooms for students with autism are overcrowded," Austin said.
The school system is also dealing with the unfunded liabilities in its other post-employment benefits costs, or OPEB, which is services the school system provides to retirees beyond pension payments, such as health insurance.
The liabilities stretch into the tens of millions of dollars for the school system, and only a small fraction of that liability is covered under the budget each year, both school and county officials have acknowledged. This was a point of contention between school leaders and the last county administration.
Board member James Thornton encouraged school officials to sit down with the administration of the new County Executive Barry Glassman and "make sure that they are clear that this liability is not going away."
"The reality of it is, we're struggling to meet our cost of doing business," Thornton said.
Canavan said her staff had some initial conversations about OPEB with Glassman's administration last month.
"We will continue to have those conversations with the current administration," she said.
Two more school budget-related sessions are scheduled this month.
A public input session will be held at noon Thursday at the A.A. Roberty Building, 102 S. Hickory Ave. in Bel Air.
Another work session is planned at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 21, at the same location.