GANSLER DECLARES

COUNCIL'S

$80 MILLION

SCHOOL BUDGET

CUT ILLEGAL

Maryland Attorney General Doug Gansler correctly stated that the smoke and mirrors budget approved by the County Council illegally charged MCPS $80 million. As a result, our county now faces tens of millions of dollars in fines.

Can I recap the budget process this year (in fairness, Councilmember Nancy Navarro was not yet elected when it was negotiated and passed)? The council made a few trims. It took away COLAs from public safety employees and teachers. Then it got big bags of Federal funny money a.k.a. "stimulus funds." But that left an $80 million deficit. That's when the council taxed MCPS, taking $80 million of the school system's available funds.

Now our elected officials must be held accountable. An $80 million cut for public schools was an off-the-wall idea at a time when every dollar is needed. There are tremendous needs in special education, and funds make a huge difference in how many kids with special needs will be mainstreamed into "regular" classes. We still have a colossal achievement gap, and a graduation gap.

I believe we will be unable to close this gap until we close the gaps in technology, nutrition, and early education for lower-income students (and future students).

But we can't do that when funds are being diverted from schools to the special interests that got the councilmembers elected!

We can only hope there will be accountability, and that the state board of education will put children first, not politics. Doug Gansler did just that, and should be commended for his decision. Gansler had every reason in the world to favor his home county, and is taking a political risk by avoiding that temptation. Other politicians here and at the state level would do well to follow Gansler's example, and hold themselves accountable.

It's past time to simply "grow up" and accept the fact that we have not a simple shortfall, but a structural deficit that absolutely must be fixed. On present course, we have years ahead in which expenditures will exceed revenue. Now is the time to establish what our priorities are, and fix our stuctural deficit. Period.

We're not doing that by taking $80 million away from poor kids in our public schools.