Local legislators voice support
Matthew Bieniek Cumberland Times-News
CUMBERLAND — A committee hearing is scheduled Wednesday on a bill sponsored by Sen. George Edwards to cap K-12 education cuts by more than 5 percent in Maryland counties.
The hearing is scheduled at 1 p.m. in front of the Budget and Taxation Committee. Edwards is a member of the committee and the sponsor of Senate Bill 586.
Allegany County Commissioner Bill Valentine is scheduled to testify in favor of the bill, staff at Edward’s office said. The bill is also filed as House Bill 660 and is sponsored by Delegates Wendell Beitzel, LeRoy Myers Jr. and Kevin Kelly.
Gov. Martin O’Malley’s fiscal 2013 budget includes a 5.5 percent cut in funding for Allegany County and an 11.8 percent cut in funding for Garrett County. This is on top of a 6 percent cut these two jurisdictions took in funding during the fiscal 2012 budget.
The bill would effectively limit the cuts per year to 5 percent through 2015. The cuts are the largest faced by any of the school systems in the state. Allegany County is the poorest county in the state, with a median income of around $37,747.
“The state really needs to look at how the wealth formula is computed. This bill would be a benefit to Garrett and Allegany counties and potentially others if we can get it passed. It would also give the state time to study how we compute wealth for K-12 education and look at appropriate various changes to the formula,” said Edwards.
The wealth formula uses a calculation based on a number of financial factors some legislators believe results in a skewed appraisal of the financial condition of some counties and their ability to fund local schools.
The calculation is used to determine how much state aid goes to county school systems in Maryland.
“The futures of the children of Garrett and Allegany counties are being jeopardized due to massive losses in state funding for education,” said Beitzel in a news release.
Edwards and Beitzel had to fight the same battle last year. The two managed to convince their colleagues to add in extra funding for the two counties in the 2011 session.
Because of the budget cuts, the Garrett County Board of Education is examining the possible closure of up to three elementary schools.
“The citizens from these areas have made it clear that these schools are at the heart of the community and closing them would cause irreparable harm for the students and their families,” Beitzel said.
Contact Matthew Bieniek at mbieniek@times-news.com.
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