From Harford County government:
Today Harford County Executive David R. Craig proposed an Operating and Capital Budget for Fiscal Year 2015 with no increase in tax rates and that is 9.8 percent smaller than last year’s budget overall.
While the General Fund budget decreases by 1.8 percent, funding for the Board of Education, the Sheriff’s Office, and the Humane Society increases. Appropriations for the Volunteer Fire Service and Harford Community College remain flat, while there are decreases in funding for Pay-as-you-go projects, debt service, and in a number of county departments including the Office of the County Executive.
Notable aspects of the FY 2015 budget include:
• A reduction in the size of the total budget (all funds) by $79.6 million (9.8 percent);
• A reduction in the General Fund budget by $8.9 million (1.8 percent);
• A slight increase in revenues from property taxes (0.6 percent) and income taxes (4.3 percent);
• Revenue appropriated from Fund Balance down from $22 million last year to $1.8 million;
• No wage or salary enhancement for employees of county government, the Sheriff’s Office, or the Public Library;
• An increase in funding for the Sheriff’s Office of $162,611; and,
• An increase in funding for the Board of Education of Harford County of $2,366,573, This includes an additional $1,900,000 for Instructional Salaries to mitigate a reduction in the state’s contribution, and an additional $466,573 for a state-mandated increase in the county’s contribution for teacher pensions.
“Perhaps no document conveys the priorities of a government or an administration more clearly than a budget,” stated County Executive David R. Craig. “While we were able to make some reductions in spending on general government operations and on capital projects, we have demonstrated our strong commitment to education and public safety, which account for 76 cents of every General Fund dollar.”
“The FY 2015 budget exercises conservative budgeting and sustainability, and takes into account county revenues, increases in the costs of doing business, and budget requests from county departments and outside agencies, as well as the comments that we received from concerned citizens.”
“This budget, like the eight that I have submitted previously as County Executive, allows county government to deliver the vital services that our citizens and businesses deserve and expect, while staying within our means and being good stewards of the resources that our taxpayers provide,” County Executive Craig concluded.
Funding for the Harford County Board of Education’s operating, debt service, and PAYGo projects represents 52 percent of the county’s General Fund budget, which is a larger proportion than when County Executive Craig took office and higher than the statewide average.1 Public Safety, which includes the Sheriff’s Office, Emergency Services, and the Volunteer Fire & EMS service, represents another 20 percent.
The proposed allocation to the Board of Education is above Maintenance of Effort, marking the eighth time under County Executive Craig that education funding has exceeded the state mandated level of funding. The FY 2015 budget has been created with the goal of enhancing Harford’s standing as one of the better-performing counties in the state for local education funding. Some important figures related to education funding in Harford County include:
• Harford ranked 9th out of 24 Maryland Counties last year for local funding for public schools proportionate to the county’s wealth,2 and this budget seeks to maintain or improve this ranking;
• Last year Harford ranked near the statewide median for both wealth (12th out of 24)3 and local education funding per pupil (13th);4
• County government provides approximately 52 percent of the school system’s Unrestricted Fund (HCPS’s Operating Budget), while the state provides 46 percent;5
• For both Unrestricted and Restricted Funds, county government provides 47 percent of the total, which is higher than the statewide average;6
• With the proposed increase in the allocation to the Board of Education, county funding for public schools will have risen by 57 percent per pupil since FY 2005; and,
• A total of $552 million from all sources has been allocated to Board of Education Capital Projects since FY 2006, including the forward funding of six new schools.
The County Executive’s proposed budget will be formally introduced by the County Council during the legislative session on Tuesday, April 15, 2014. This will be followed over the next month by Council Budget Work Sessions with representatives of each department and agency in addition to public hearings on the county budget. The Council must pass the county budget by June 15.
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1. Local Government Finances in Maryland, Sept. 2013, p.348, http://dls.state.md.us/data/polanasubare/polanasubare_intmatnpubadm/polanasubare_intmatnpubadm_annrep/Local-Government-Finances-in-MD-FY-2012.pdf#page=355.
2. The Overview of Maryland Local Governments (2014) provides audited figures for both per pupil funding and a county’s wealth per pupil (as measured by the state for state aid allocations). Dividing funding from wealth reveals the proportion of wealth that is provided to the school system. Harford ranks ninth, one place below Baltimore County, and above both Anne Arundel (10th) and Cecil (11th).
3. Overview of Maryland Local Governments 2014, p.104, http://dls.state.md.us/data/polanasubare/polanasubare_intmatnpubadm/polanasubare_intmatnpubadm_annrep/2014-Overview-of-Maryland-Local-Governments.pdf#page=117.
4. Overview of Maryland Local Governments 2014, p.99, http://dls.state.md.us/data/polanasubare/polanasubare_intmatnpubadm/polanasubare_intmatnpubadm_annrep/2014-Overview-of-Maryland-Local-Governments.pdf#page=112.
5. Board of Education’s Approved Budget Fiscal Year 2014, p. 483, http://www.hcps.org/boe/budget/content/FY14/approved/fy14StatisticalSection.pdf#page=3.
6. Overview of Maryland Local Governments 2014, p.95, http://dls.state.md.us/data/polanasubare/polanasubare_intmatnpubadm/polanasubare_intmatnpubadm_annrep/2014-Overview-of-Maryland-Local-Governments.pdf#page=108.
The Budget reflects the clear fact that Craig has brought the Harford economy to a halt. He s certainly leaving the County worse off than he got it, more debt and no fund balance and very little new economic growth. On the bright side , his friends and family hiring practices still actively bringing on more employees. The next County Executive will have his work cut out for him to get this car out of the ditch and I hope he has a broom to clean out this corrupt administration. Larry Hogan should take a close look at the County behind Craig’s spin.
Other economic forces are at work.
The national economy has been in the toilet for 6 years, the Harford County Executive is but a minor player on that stage.
Kharn,
Of course you are right. The poster you are answering has politics on his mind.
Will Burbrey be by to complain, by percentage, everyone is getting a bigger reduction than him?
Craig couldn’t reduce it anymore. If he could he would have. In order to comply with MOE he had to provide what he did. the 1.9 million makes up for the reduction in state money to keep the total BOE budget flat and the other part is required as part of the pension shift. Craig left a flat budget for the BOE in the end.
You are absolutely correct. The County Executive gave zero new dollars for the school system. This is very serious business. Now the school board will be faced with making some very difficult decisions that are likely to please no one. Teacher and staff reductions, increased class sizes, elimination of courses and programs (possibly magnet programs), a further deterioration of facilities for lack of maintenance funding, more transportation changes, possibility more student fees, higher fees for community groups wanting to uses school building and athletic fields, a continuing erosion of the reputation of the school system and an increasing inability to attract the best teacher candidates to educate our children, and the list goes on and on. Mr Craig can howl all he wants about the State not contributing their fair share but that does not change the fact that HE controls the Harford County budget and that HIS decisions will be the driving force behind what the school system will need to do to meet the budget shortfall. Mr. Craig says there is not enough money to maintain services throughout the school system but there is enough money allocated in the budget to build a new high school in HdG.
While they would be nice to have, we don’t need the “best teacher candidates” as long as HCPS continues to meet the state testing goals.
Plus, I bet the best candidates are looking towards the exclusive private schools closer to Baltimore and DC.
You are incorrect. The allocation proposed by the county executive is just over $2 million above MOE. In other words, he could have proposed contributing $2 million less than he did, and still met MOE. The MOE number for the coming fiscal year actually decreased slightly because HCPS has fewer students than the year before.
The pension shift can not be counted towards MOE and the 1.9 million offsets the 1,9 subtraction from state funding. MOE requires the Per Pupil amount to remain the same.
Cdev, You are incorrect yet again. MOE only applies to the county’s portion of funding. Ironically, the state requires an MOE for counties, but does not for themselves. The pension shift funding is over and above MOE until the full phase in. Harford’s MOE plus teacher pensions for FY15 is $221.6 million. You can look it up in the BOE’s proposed budget.
Blue Ox,
Thanks for setting the record straight again. You are posting to cdev who doesn’t believe that the liberals in Annapolis have anything to do with their salaries. Never mind that the state has dropped part of the pension costs on the counties; Never mind that the liberals have siphoned a couple hundred million out of the pension fund and didn’t pass real legislation to solve the problem; never mind that were handed a record number of taxes and fees that cause hardships to Harford families, never mind that a large portion of county residents work outside of Harford and get nailed with increased gas taxes, etc. One poster even asked me to explain how citizens were hurting in Harford County. That wasn’t the comment that one would expect from and educated person or even a liberal.
On behalf of all educators and all citizens who care about education in Harford County, DROP DEAD DAVID CRAIG!
Speak for yourself. I have been an HCPS teacher for 18 years, and love my job. I also have children in our school system. I have grown even more appreciative of what I have as in the time that I have taught, I have watched two family members lose jobs in the private sector, remain unemployed for two years plus, and almost lose their homes. You are disgusting. Wishing someone to drop dead is ridiculous, and changes nothing. Be grateful. I am.
You are happy now but will you feel the same if your job is eliminated in the very real possibility of job cuts coming in June?
Wishing someone to drop dead for creating a budget that doesn’t suit your fancy shows signs of a mental disorder. Clicking the “like” button for for this kind of hate speech is just as bad as making it.
I can’t stand our current President, Congress or Governor, but I was taught better than to wish death on people!
Hey Bri,
I have watched fellow teachers be laid off, fired, riffed this past year and I will watch again when it happens this June and all because our idiot County Executive has refused and continues to refuse to fund the education budget at its proper level. As a former teacher and administrator he should know better. He got all of his steps and pay raises and COLA’s but has denied everyone else theirs. Talk about a hypocrite! And if you have been teaching for 18 years, you should know better also. Open your eyes and look around BRI! Your fellow teachers are sick and tired of being walked on, taken for granted and treated like crap by the politicians in this town who found the money to give themselves a pay hike but can’t find money to fund education properly. I’m glad you love your job. Most of us used to but not anymore. That is why veteran teachers are leaving en masse and that is why this school system is going down and why your kids education will suffer. The hell with David Craig and the hell with anyone who supports him! If anyone is disgusting, it is turncoat teachers like you who would rather wear blinders then acknowledge the suffering your fellow teachers have been experiencing these past five years. Bet you never attended one budget hearing or teacher rally these past few years. You were probably too busy lesson planning and grading papers while the politicians screwed you over and over. Sucker!
Hey Hazzard Native,
see my comments to Bri regarding your comments to me. BTW, wishing craig to drop dead is no worse than what he has basically told this school system to do through his asinine actions these past five years!
Right, wishing death upon someone and not receiving a pay raise for your relatively safe 10 month job are pretty much the same thing.
Two points Blue Ox,
first, I am talking about funding the education budget not just pay raises. Second, jobs at HCPS are not relatively safe. People will be axed again and lives will be disrupted again, and school children will suffer all because of a tyrannical county executive. If he had a heart, I wouldn’t be wishing he had a coronary!
theodore adams, Ok you got me. At first I thought you were actually serious. Now I realize you are just being over the top to show how disconnected some of the Burbey types on here are from reality, given that there are many people out there who are actually suffering in the economy and who leave work every day with a chance that their job or their company won’t be there tomorrow. Well done sir.
David Craig is so out of touch with reality! I’ve got a better chance of being governor.
How can in one sentence you hype cutting $80 million from the budget, and then in the next state that your budget shows a STRONG commitment to public safety and education?
I’m sure even half of that $80million in cuts would have funded fair raises for all county employees, deputies, library workers and Board of Ed employees.
Maybe after Craig loses big time in his bid for Governor will he realize he’s full of it.
Why didn’t the Dagger publish the comments Mr. Craig made about Mr. Burbey that the Aegis saw fit to publish? Disagree with Mr. Burbey or not the vitriol with which Mr. Craig used to verbally assault him in public clearly raises questions about whether Mr. Craig has the temperament to hold any elected office. New reporting that Mr. Hogan is now leading the pulling away in the race for the Republican nomination for Governor may be contributing to Mr. Craig’s visibly growing frustration and personal attack on Mr. Burbey.
I was very disappointed to read Mr. Craig’s comments. I try to steer clear of personal attacks and keep it to the issues. The funny thing is that David has seen me in Annapolis and knows that I have been lobbying for changes to the wealth formula. He also knows that in 8 out of the last 10 years the state of MD has contributed more to Harford County schools than Harford County Government. HCPS currently is ranked 20 out of 24 MD counties for school funding.
http://dls.state.md.us/data/polanasubare/polanasubare_intmatnpubadm/polanasubare_intmatnpubadm_annrep/2014-Overview-of-Maryland-Local-Governments.pdf
Burbey, the state contributes more than the county when you consider both Unrestricted and Restricted funds. That is the case in most of the counties in Maryland. Harford County provides more than half of HCPS’s Unrestricted fund (aka General Fund), which funds salaries and operating expenses. The 20th out of 24 for funding statistic refers to all funding sources. For county funding Harford is 13 out of 24. Not great but not the worst either.
You will never catch Ryan using all the numbers, only the ones that fit his agenda.
TR,
Thanks for clearing the garbage to get to the facts. Burbey uses statistics to spin his point. Teachers do deserve a raise, but they also deserve honest leadership, and so does the voting public,
I am not spinning anything. Here are some facts.
Harford County per Capita Revenue Rankings:
Property Taxes 11th
Income Taxes 6th
State Grants 14th
Total revenues 11th
% Harford County Public School funding by source FY14:
State of MD = 48.8%
Harford County Govt. = 46.9%
Harford County total per pupil funding ranking for FY14 = 20th
State of MD per pupil funding amount and ranking for FY14 = $6,306 (15th)
Harford County Government per pupil funding amount and ranking for FY14 = $5,969 (13th)
Harford County Wealth per pupil ranking = 12th
If Harford County only increased it’s funding to match its wealth per pupil ranking that would mean an increase of $258/pupil which would be a total increase of approximately $9.8 million.
State funding is guided by an inverse formula in proportion to wealth. Counties with more means to fund education receive less state aid.
The simple fact is that Harford County has been underfunding education for the entire Craig Administration.
Harford County is one of only two counties in the state of MD which has not honored its steps in 4 out of 5 years.
http://dls.state.md.us/data/polanasubare/polanasubare_intmatnpubadm/polanasubare_intmatnpubadm_annrep/2014-Overview-of-Maryland-Local-Governments.pdf
No, Mr. Burbey provides all of the ammunition needed.
Well, there are different types of growth from cancer to spring flowers. If your idea of growth is taxing more and spending it on government salaries I guess the budget is cancerous. If your idea of growth is easing the pain of state spending by keeping the tax payers a little better off, then the budget has a growing bloom on the rose.
Maryland in general is so business unfriendly (from corrupt speed cameras to fees and taxes) that nothing much can be done to attract new taxpayers to this county or state. But this budget might keep a few more from being driven out.
To the government employees who wanted pay increases to compensate for having to live in a state that is expensive because it has so many government employees, I understand and sympathize. I really do mean that. It is a no win situation. To everyone else we can maybe keep our pocket lint another year until we have to fill up our gas tank and pay that final tax. Or, we can plan to flee the state by then.
you can bank on this-craig only does what’s politically effective for his political aspirations and not what’s good us citizens. at the moment his hope is to be our next governor-God forbid!!
The teaching argument makes no flipping sense to me. I agree with Kharn.
The whole “best canidate” argument sounds like they are trashing the current faculty. Tests are good and students are graduating. Why is there am argument that students deserve the best teachers? Sounds like they already have the best teachers.
The sign wavers seem to hide in the closet about saying “I want more money.” That’s what’s its about, and they twist and omit words to get around the direct implementation of saying it. You deserve more Monet, but these emotional responses paint a pathetic picture.
Yes, Harford County would like the best teachers, but competively speaking, other counties can offer more to their new teachers. It is not a criticism of the current staff, but when people retire or leave, they need to be replaced. All things being considered, candidates are looking elsewhere because Harford County is not the best choice for many candidates, not just the best.
Sounds like a personal choice to need and or, to want more and apply elsewhere. More is defined as what another school system has to offer the employee that Harford does not.
Kharn has it right, until student performance plummets according to State statistics nothing will drastically change, so, currently our students have the best teachers whether its their first or 30th year teaching in Harford.
After student performance plummets it will be too late.
Waving signs down 1 block in Bel Air is nice feel good, but the schools top dogs know there will never be a huge disobedience, something like 1000 teachers not showing up for work.
Most People put their jobs before their beliefs, even of it means to work underpaid for years.
It’s amazing the ignorance being showcased on this issue. I think its been made plainly clear time and time again that there simply is not enough money to fully fund the $32 million request from the Board of Education. Funding of public education is a shared responsibility between the local county government and the state. Why does it seem that everyone wants to focus on the county portion, yet they give the state a free pass on any culpability? If it were not for the increased funding from the county to make up for the state reductions, HCPS would be even worse off. Also, do you expect the County Executive to jettison other parts of government in favor of directing all available funds to education? How about our emergency services, sheriff, roads, parks, libraries, animal control, state’s attorney, community college, senior centers and senior help programs. The list could go on and on. The value of a good leader is the ability to recognize what is and is not possible. I believe that the executive and the council have realized this. From reading the posts above, it is very clear that angry people are looking for a scapegoat, and it’s very easy to point the finger at the guy sitting next to you (i.e., the County Executive) as opposed to folks an hour down the road in Annapolis. Has the county done everything right, NO. However, we all need to be smart enough to understand the actual constraints that exist when trying to balance the growing list of needs in our community with our ability to fund them through the taxes we pay. That said, even if we were to all agree to want to pay higher taxes, if the county were to consider raising them to the maximum allowed by the state, we would still fall short of the additional funds that were requested by the Board of Education this year. So, to those who wish to bash the Executive and Council, make sure you are well informed before doing so. Our state officials need to request that state funding formulas be revisited, and our county officials need to have a conversation with the voters on how much taxes they are willing to pay to raise the revenue necessary to make up for the gap in funding for education. If a half way intelligent person actually looks at the issue, you will see that there is plenty of blame to be thrown around. You can close your eyes, and your ears and be blindly led by special interests. You can keep pointing the fingers, and yelling insults, however this issue cannot be solved by just one elected official. Directing responsibility solely at the County Executive and County Council shows one’s ignorance at best. The Board needs to re-examine how it conducts business, they need to be creative and open to change. Our state officials need to request that state funding formulas be revisited, and our county officials need to have a conversation with the voters on how much taxes they are willing to pay to raise the revenue necessary to fund everyone’s desires. So, enough of this banter. Folks here need to grow up, and look for ways to solve the problem, open their eyes and ears and have the wisdom to understand where the problems actually lay.
I’d agree with you if that truly was the case. But you cannot cry that there is no money when the CE’s own report states that revenues (both propert and income tax) are up and yet $79.6 million was cut from last year.
We ask the school district to continually operate on a flat budget for years. If the county’s budget remained flat, that $79.6 million was more than enough to provide wage packages for ALL county employees.
Even only using half of that cut would have provided ALL county workers with appropriate wage packages and you would still be able to cut $40 million out of the budget.
County employees have never asked for the county to go broke paying us. But we are tired of watching our futures get leveraged in the guises of being “fiscally conservative”.
It is sad that some members of the community would make such negative comments towards the teachers and HCPS at such a difficult time for those affected by budget cuts. It is true that HCPS perform well on tests and evaluations. And it is true that despite years of pay freezes we still work hard to ensure the success of students. But at what costs?
A teachers tuck on step 4 or 5 is making 45-47K a year. This teacher cannot mantain a home and a family for an entire career on such income. at some point we need more to live our lives and provide for our own families. That is not wrong, it’s called fair, and it is outlined in our contracts. How can we keep asking teachers to prioritize the success of HCPS students when they ask their own children to go without. HCPS teachers work hard for students, and help them get into great colleges and careers while they wonder how they will support their own child at even the most modestly prices colleges.
Spread all the negativity you want. respond with any attack you feel you must voice. But the negative comments and hate thrown at teaches can’t hide the fact that this is a deeply broken school system, with many of it’s vital teachers hindering on the breaking point. Kharn and the dagger comment cronies simply represent another aspect of how Harford County is heading in the wrong direction.
I didn’t like the pay or prospects of advancement in my first career, so I put myself through college to get a better one.
Maybe if you’re not happy with all of the facets of being a teacher in HCPS, you should look into a different profession?
With that attitude perhaps we can depend upon minimum wage workers or migrant workers to teach our children.
If you reduce their pay sufficiently you will get only the truly desperate to come teach in this delightful paradise. And with lower wages offered you can expect the neighbors that you chose not to pay more will be replaced by lower income neighbors that may not share your values.
Please think only of yourselves. It’s the American thing to do.
Why is this the only county that has frozen salaries in 5 of 6 years? If the economy is tough everywhere why is harford the only one penalizing the teachers?
Perhaps it had something to do with the relationship and cooperation between the HCEA, BOE, and the County Executive/County Council.
I think it has more to do with our County Executive failing to provide the necessary funding.
You can’t have a relationship with Mr. Craig when he is not interested in having one.
Why would Mr. Craig and the County Council not be interested in having a working relationship with the HCEA and BOE?
I once negotiated a raise in my allowance with my Mother. When my Mother went to my Father for funding, he said no deal to the allowance increase. After that, I started including my Father in the allowance process. It worked much better.
The county council has been amenable to creating a working relationship. The same cannot be said for our county executive.
Don’t pretend like you weren’t calling the man a liar in the recent past. I wouldn’t work with you either.
I never called him a liar. I deal in facts, not name-calling.
From reading the comments attributed to Mr. Craig about Mr. Burbey the County Executive may be incapable of having a professional or workable relationship with the teachers association. As for the BOE maybe he is not happy with some members or that their recent decisions on cuts have finally drawn negative attention to his funding priorities.
I live and work in Harford County, have children in public schools here and own a home here. My wife and I both work full time, our average salary is right in there with that of an average HCPS Teacher, so we understand what it is like to try and raise a family here on these wages. I think the teachers should be paid what they were promised. With that being said, I can appreciate the local government showing the restraint with our tax dollars that both our State and Federal leaders don’t have! And further, for someone to come on here and wish death to our County Executive and blame him for basically being fiscally responsible shows some sort of mental derangement.
If only it was because Mr. Craig using fiscal restraint. Unfortunately, the problem is not that Harford County could not provide the funds but rather that the funds have been spent on a variety of ill advised, unnecessary or optional projects.
This county is in better fiscal shape than most, and there will always be opinion that certain projects are ill advised or optional. Although I agree that the teachers should get what they were promised, a raise is optional, so by not giving them one, that option was excersised, it is not a very popular option. Buying oil soaked waterfront property in Havre de Grace is ill-advised in my opinion. Taking ownership of a 40+ year old helicopter that will eventually need to be funded by this county is un-neccesary. But, you will have such things everywhere, the budget is still within reason, again – opinion.
Craig is proposing 79 million less than last year and the county is projecting 8 million in more revenue? The funds are there to raise salaries and no increases in tax rates are needed! what I the issue with the CE? Guess that running for Governor has made this guy make an example of “good governance by sticking it to the teachers, sheriff and county employees?” I hope HC turns on him come election time.
Almost all of the 79 million reduction is from the capital budget, which is funded through bonds. You can’t use bonded funds in Operating. And overall revenues are down because fund balance went from 21 million to 2 million.
TR,
From what I am reading, you are absolutely correct. The majority of reductions are from the capital budget. Which, for folks that are typically concerned with county indebtedness that should be good news. The bottom line is cost of government is clearly outpacing the county’s revenues. Also, state contributions to education have declined sharply. I read an article the other day that said that counties like Prince Georges and Montgomery and Baltimore City actually saw an increase in state spending for their education systems. This seems wholly unfair to me. We need to be looking at how the state funding formulas are having a negative impact on Harford.
County revenues can increase by adopting the constant yield suggested by state law as outlined in the proposed budget. There is nothing wrong with doing that by the CE or the council since that is placed by state law to maintain last years property tax revenue levels.
No actually, the CE is proposing using paygo funds to pay for capital projects and no bond funds would ever be used to run operations in the county as that would be foolish (only the federal govt borrows money to pay for operations)
It has been stated by many posting here that state aid to Harford County and HCPS went down this year. Actually, state aid increased to schools by $2 million. Overall state aid increased to Harford County increased by .8%.
You can find it on page A-74
http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/Pubs/legislegal/2014rs-90-day-report.pdf
Burbey, Interesting that you defend the state for, as you say, increasing their contribution by $2 million, yet rail against the County Executive for increasing the county contribution by $2.3 million.
I did not defend the state. I presented a simple fact. The issue is that the county portion of the funding is not keeping pace. Harford County already gets about 50 cents on every dollar of state taxes collected in Harford County back in direct state aid. By comparison Howard get 33 cents and Montgomery gets 25 cents. Prince George’s being much poorer than us gets about 60 cents. Worcester being much richer gets 17 cents. Virtually all state aid programs are wealth dependent. If you are a more affluent county you are expected to foot the bill for more of your programs and services.
Harford County ranks 12 out of 24 for wealth. While not poor by any stretch, that doesn’t exactly sound “more affluent” to me.
PG county is more poor than Harford? Say what?
Why was there less than 300 teachers at the March for Education on Bel Air? Where were the other 1,000 teachers?
Harford County is ranked 12th with wealth per pupil of $451,161. PG is ranked 16th with wealth per pupil of $382,263. That is a difference of $68,898 per pupil. I would say that makes Harford significantly more affluent. Likewise, Harford’s wealth has grown 2.1% this year while PG’s has decrease 2.6%.
http://dls.state.md.us/data/polanasubare/polanasubare_intmatnpubadm/polanasubare_intmatnpubadm_annrep/2014-Overview-of-Maryland-Local-Governments.pdf
I wish someone would just dispense with all this cloudy air of mendacity and get right to the point. In order for county employees to get a raise, taxes in the county must go up. Please, anybody, suggest a specific tax increase and a specific source of that tax that would cover the raise. All of you who want the money should certainly know how much each employee should get, what the total dollars are and how much more each person in the county would be expected to pay. Stop with the ‘we had a contract’ or ‘this is a wealthy county’ nebulous pap. Get specific please. This will cut to the chase and end all the eeyoring.
According to the county’s CAFR (independently audited figures) and the state’s county-by-county numbers, you are incorrect Burbey. The county spends more than 52% of its general fund on public schools. That figure does not include HCC and libraries.
http://dls.state.md.us/data/polanasubare/polanasubare_intmatnpubadm/polanasubare_intmatnpubadm_annrep/LocaGovernment-Finances-in-MD-FY-2012.pdf#page=355
No it absolutely does not. Look at the numbers. It says education including debt service and PayGo.
Mr. Burbey, what percentage of the other Maryland countys budget goes to thier school systems?
It varies from county to county but Harford county spends less than virtually every other county. The problem with looking at it by percentage is throughout the Craig administration the budget percentages have very little meaning since all other departments simply receive supplemental funding throughout the year. This year nearly about $10 million was allocated in supplemental funding to county departments, while the board of education received no supplemental funding.
Engineer, the answer to your question is the statewide average is 49% of county general fund money goes to local school systems. Harford contributes over 52% — 3% more than the average. Even if Burbey is correct and the county adds another $10m in supplemental, it still wouldn’t lower the proportion to below the statewide average given that the general fund is nearly $500m.
Harford does not not has it ever contributed 50% to its public schools. The 52% includes HCC and libraries. HCPS is dramatically underfunded.
Burbey, your name should be half truth instead… IT department received 10 million to cover a broadband cost for the county communication bill. The funds came from other departments. Only 1 department received more money than projected. Most of the time, these cost projections are accurate but the IT project was expanded to cover more than initially proposed. Snow removal may get more funds depending on the season or HR might if more people retire than anticipated to cover those costs.
My department has given money back most years for unfilled positions that were fully funded or grants covered a cost incurred by the county. In my department particularly, additional funds came in during an audit that showed recapture of funds due back to the county. Hard to project when you are getting additional funds. Grant funds can only be spent for their purpose so the department will use them first and refund the county its initial cost.
You know it is bad when HCEA sets up a job fair for HCPS teachers with Baltimore County. April 25th for those interested.
I am a bit shocked to read they would need a job fair to know what is available next door.
It’s not about knowing what is available next door but expediting the application and hiring process. From an HR perspective this is a good move for BCPS and has the potential to be a serious loss for HCPS.
Serious loss? What are we talking about here? A hundred teachers from Baltimore County got jobs in PA because it is so expensive to live here?
I’m sorry. This is a few miles down the road. It just smacks of a publicity stunt.
Harford County should join them in the job fare and find instant replacements from the thousands that show up for each job.
Please understand. You are reading this from a person that believes the teachers should get a raise. Although, I am still waiting for someone to tell me what taxes are needed and what should be taxed. I would be willing to pay a couple hundred per year more if I knew it was going to the teachers.
It is not a publicity stunt. We are anticipating dramatic cuts. It is essential that we assist those that may be displaced before the positions in other districts are filled. Likewise, many teachers can no longer hang on financially. They need help finding a place where they will be able to move forward. I am a parent with two kids in the system. It saddens me that this is the way things are. HCPS is losing great teachers and will likely lose more. Our kids and community deserve better.
Burbey lies!!! county departments only get additional funding for unexpected costs (snow removal, emergencies or more people retired than projected) Most departments give unspent funds back to the general fund. Costs may be covered later by other grants (new scanners paid by the county and then a grant covers a technology cost or upgrade) or a fully funded position goes unfilled for a portion of the year. When funds are needed, the additional funding comes from other department accounts… there isn’t a magic piggy bank to go back to ask for more money!!! When was the last time the Board gave any money back??? Never! That is the truth!!!
Here are two supplemental appropriation bills executed this year.
http://www.harfordcountymd.gov/WebLink8/0/doc/5284439/Electronic.aspx
http://www.harfordcountymd.gov/WebLink8/0/doc/5162035/Electronic.aspx
Actually a couple of years ago Mr. Craig asked the school system to return over 6 million dollars to the county. To return that much would have placed the county contribution to the school system budget below Maintenance Of Effort requirements. The school system returned over three million dollars to the county to keep with the MOE. To return more would have resulted in further reductions in State aid to the school system.
Here we go Ryan Burbey and HCEA whining like usual. Also why would HCEA set up a job fair with BCPS, they are not the BCEA. This is what teachers call a union, what a joke. By the way nobody got a raise, so quit complaining times are tough.
HCEA and its board of directors which represents the majority of teachers in Harford County, has a moral and legal responsibility to act on behalf of its members and their best interests. While that typically takes the form of contract negotiations and contract disputes, it takes many other forms as well. It includes forming partnerships with various financial institutions such as Wells Fargo mortgages, AFLAC, and providing vision insurance not offered by HCPS. It also includes free training and professional development such as last year’s SLO training and the CARE cultural diversity training that will take place this summer. This CARE training will allow participants to earn 3 MSDE credits that can be applied toward recertification and is absolutely free.
As always, the HCEA Board of Directors has closely monitored the FY 14-15 budget process, the County Executive’s public hearing in November, as well as comments made by board members, various county council members, and County Executive/Candidate Craig. The BOE has submitted a budget that includes a more than 30 million dollar increase over last year’s funding level. We would like to think that this is based in part on the numerous members of the public and teachers, both current and former, testifying at a variety of venues during this process to the negative impact that last year’s minimal funding has had on HCPS. Unfortunately, the reaction by a multitude of our public officials has ranged from the very simplistic response of zero-sum economics-how many police officers do you want to take off the streets to pay teachers-to our county executives responses of “teachers come and teachers go” and “if you don’t like your job-leave”. The HCEA Board of Directors’ fears of flat funding by Harford County government were realized with the release of County Executive Craig’s Budget. As a result, many teachers will have to relive the tragic visit from HCPS Human Resources that so many teachers faced last year, as their jobs are cut to meet the limited funding offered by Harford County. Many teachers had this visit during the school day and had to return to their classes to finish the day wondering how they were going to be able to pay their bills, keep their homes, feed their families, and what was going to happen to their career as a teacher.
Based on this, the HCEA Board of Directors has decided that it needs to take action for not only our members, but for all of the teachers of HCPS. Therefore we have, in partnership with Baltimore County Public Schools, set up a job fair for HCPS teachers with Baltimore County on April 25 from 4-8 pm at Homewood Suites. Many are going to ask why we would do this, and it boils down to:
1. All evidence seems to point again to flat funding for HCPS. Without additional funding, teachers are not likely to receive salary steps for the 2014-15. Should this occur, HCPS teachers will have missed steps five out of the last six years.
2. HCPS does not appear to have a plan to prioritize teacher steps in the future. Without adhering to a regular salary scale, which includes yearly salary increments, it is impossible for teachers to successfully plan for their financial security and professional development, including attainment of a master’s degree within the first 10 years of employment.
3. At the current funding level, HCPS will be forced to cut additional teaching positions on a yearly basis. These teachers need assistance in finding new placements.
4. Many HCPS teachers are currently struggling financially as a result of the salary freeze. HCPS has not presented a plan to repatriate lost steps to teachers. For many of these struggling teachers acquiring a position in another schools district is the only opportunity they have to return to financial security.
The reality is that the teachers of HCPS have no guarantee of job or financial security in Harford County. We, the HCEA Board of directors feel that it is our moral responsibility to assist all teachers-not just our members-on the verge of losing their jobs to have assistance finding a new home that will treat them as the treasure that they are since HCPS and Harford County government do not, and provided no such assistance last year. We feel that it is also our responsibility to assist all of our teachers to find a position in a system that is willing to provide them with job and financial security that Harford County is unwilling to provide even at the expense of losing members of our organization
After The Teachers Marched And Expressed Their Disgust With The County Not Upholding Their End Of An Employment Contract – The Behavior Of Some Of The County Council Members Was Both Unprofessional And Embarrassing.
No surprise there.