The Baltimore school board unanimously approved last night its fiscal year 2000 budget, but also issued a caveat: Board members promised to revisit a $3 million set-aside for City College that parents and staff from other schools decry as a politically inspired slush fund.

Nearly a half-dozen speakers at the meeting asked why their schools -- which scrape by with outdated textbooks and equipment -- don't also get the money.

"This reeks of politics," said Amy Watkins, vice president of Polytechnic Institute's parent association. "There is no secret that several Maryland politicians and Baltimore's mayor are City College graduates. How else can you explain the inequity?"

Watkins and other parents begged the board to postpone the vote and reconsider more equitably distributing funds, but the panel refused. Instead, it approved the budget with the set-aside and directed schools chief Robert Booker to investigate a better way.

The $831 million budget approved for the fiscal year beginning July 1 also drew fire last night from community groups that have decried its hasty adoption. The budget was released last week and only one public hearing was held before last night's vote.

The city teachers union also blasted the board for budget plans to reduce the number of aides for special education case managers and stop paying those case managers on a 12-month schedule.

"These are changes that must be negotiated with us," said Baltimore Teachers Union President Marietta English.

Board members assured everyone that their complaints were being heard, and emphasized that the budget was a "living document" whose decisions would be revisited throughout the year.

The set-aside for City College High garnered the night's most heated comments. The money, which is categorized as "funding beyond the staffing formula," is actually part of a larger budget item that has been maintained for certain favored schools and projects.

It includes money for all-day kindergartens at elementary schools such as Roland Park, Mount Washington and Medfield Heights Elementary (other schools only have half-day programs). It pays for some of Barclay Elementary's Calvert curriculum. It will pay for some of the teachers in Walbrook High's new Uniform Services Academy.

But critics last night said the City College High set-aside was disproportionate. In contrast to City College High's $3 million, they said, Polytechnic is getting $92,000, Baltimore School for the Arts will get $1.3 million and Western High will get nothing.

The extra money for every other school is specifically targeted for teachers or programs, while City College High's money is a virtual blank check.

"At Poly, we're using outdated microscopes and centrifuges," Watkins said. "The chemistry charts in my daughter's classroom don't include some elements because they're so old. We met with [Booker] and thought it would be changed, but it wasn't."

Booker said he considered the complaints from Polytechnic and other schools when he crafted the budget, but limited resources and fairness stopped him from doing anything differently.

"I don't think it's fair to take the money from City College," Booker said. "A lot of that money they use for utilities and janitorial services that other schools don't pay for. What we ought to do is find a way to get more resources for the other schools. And right now, we don't have those resources."

Booker said he will go back to staff to try to find alternative solutions. He also said the system is seeking ways to increase revenue to fund more programs. The board did not set a time frame for reconsideration of the budget.

"I'm leaving here tonight with no recourse," said Burnett Morsell, president of the Polytechnic parent association.

Pub Date: 3/31/99