The Harford County Board of Education reversed a budgeted salary cut of nearly 2% for all school system employees planned for next year, by approving a series of budget amendments at a special board meeting held Thursday in Bel Air. The school board’s action came in response to news earlier in the week that Harford County Executive David Craig’s proposed FY11 budget would include $3 million over and above the schools’ original request for $211 million in unrestricted operating funds.
Craig recommended that $2.7 million of the added funds be used for employee compensation and $300,000 be used toward a planned agricultural magnet program at North Harford High School.
The school board amended the budget Thursday evening to account for the additional county revenue and approved a series of other budget adjustments that together boosted total wages by $5 million, enough to eliminate the 2% cuts, at least on paper. Salary levels are subject to pending collective bargaining agreements with the five unions representing HCPS employees.
The schools’ budget process is also far from complete, with local funding approvals pending from the Harford County Council and state funding, projected at $198 million, not yet guaranteed.
there is ample fat in the entire harford county public school system
that cuts could be made without impacting classroom teachers at all. lets look at all the administrative overhead, not just at the board offices, but throughout the schools.