The Harford County Council on Tuesday approved a series of budget amendments for the fiscal year 2015, scoring hits and misses for individual Harford County public schools. Final passage of the county budget is planned for May 27th.
The amendments affecting schools involved capital projects, arising in some cases because of advocacy by school PTAs, school board members, council members, or all of the above.
Below is a review of the school-related budget amendments.
Fountain Green Elementary School will get $200,000 for technology to enhance computer systems at the school, under an amendment adopted by the council at the request of County Executive David Craig and Councilman Dick Slutzky. Advocates for this project included the Fountain Green PTA.
Hickory Elementary School will get similar technology improvements, with $100,000 approved for fiscal year 2015, and an additional $100,000 tentatively planned for fiscal 2016. The county executive and Councilman Chad Shrodes requested the amendment for Hickory Elementary School. The Hickory PTA advocated for this project.
Ring Factory Elementary School in Bel Air will get a $1 million HVAC upgrade under an amendment adopted to provide $470,000 from the county, with the balance of funding recently approved by the state. The school board requested the project, however the state’s funding commitment came after the county executive’s budget was presented, thereby requiring an amendment to move the project forward.
Youth’s Benefit Elementary is set for a $44.8 million replacement facility, with construction funding to begin in fiscal 2015. The council adopted an amendment Tuesday to make a prior county appropriation for the project available on July 1st, the first day of fiscal 2015, to contribute to construction and other project costs.
Havre de Grace vs. Joppatowne
An amendment to transfer $5 million from a capital project to renovate Joppatowne High School to the planned Havre de Grace middle/high school replacement facility sparked debate. But the Havre de Grace project is no stranger to debate.
County Executive Craig initiated the project in 2012, bypassing the usual process that begins with a request from the school board. Craig got pushback at the time from some county council and school board members. However, the project, originally conceived as a replacement for Havre de Grace High School, was finally adopted by the school board, and is now planned as a combined middle/high school.
The controversy continued on Tuesday, as Councilman Dion Guthrie decried the funding transfer, “I think it’s horrific…I don’t care where the two schools are…I don’t think you should take money from one school to finance another school…” he said. Guthrie represents the Joppatowne area.
The school board had earlier submitted both projects to the state for local planning approval in fiscal year 2015, but it was granted only for Havre de Grace.
Although the school board never voted to request a funding transfer from Joppatowne to Havre de Grace, board member Tom Fitzpatrick, representing Havre de Grace, rose from the audience at the council meeting to testify in favor. “Since we have [state] approval for this project we are basically on the verge of contracting with our engineering services for the Havre de Grace project and we would like to move forward with the construction management piece,” he said.
Councilman Jim McMahan questioned the cost: “Five million dollars for planning seems exorbitant to me,” he said.
Boniface said that the five million would be in addition to a prior county appropriation for planning of $4.9 million.
Fitzpatrick replied that the additional $5 million – bringing the total for planning to nearly $10 million – was needed to prepare for construction. Boniface and McMahan stressed that the project was not yet approved for construction. Fitzpatrick acknowledged that the state has thus far only granted local planning approval.
Local planning approval signals the state’s willingness to share in the future cost of construction, but it is not a guarantee of when county and state construction funding may begin to flow. The distinction matters because a planned project can be stalled for many years due to a lack of construction funding. However, once construction funding is approved in year one of a large project, funding is generally approved in subsequent years toward completion.
Councilwoman Mary Ann Lisanti, representing Havre de Grace, was a co-sponsor of the transfer amendment also requested by Craig. Lisanti said that she did not support “pitting one community against the other”, but she said the long term budgeting process required a partnership with the state and county to provide facilities. She said that Havre de Grace had to go through the process and now had planning approval, prompting the amendment. “It’s making sure that the projects don’t get lost or lose their order when state approval is available,” she said. However, her fellow councilmembers voted down the $5 million transfer in a 6 to 1 vote, with only Lisanti voting yea.
Boniface later introduced an amendment making the prior appropriation for the Havre de Grace project available as of July 1, 2014, with language limiting spending “to be used only for planning, design and engineering purposes.” Lisanti asked to join Boniface as a co-sponsor, and the amendment was unanimously approved.
Mr. Guthrie has every right to be angry. You don’t rob Peter to pay Paul.
The word is that Joppatowne is sinking. Anyone know if that’s true? If so, that really could be dangerous. Look at what happened off of Charles Street in Baltimore.
Harford County School Board is out of control with our money as it is. Why do we need a new school in Havre de Grace when the enrollments are dropping?
Because David Craig wants it. The Havre de Grace school wasn’t even on the School Board’s radar before he bagan pushing for it.
The best thing the school board could do is shut Havre de Grace High School down. After all, it is the oldest and smallest high school in the county. There are more than enough seats for those students at neighboring schools.
What the hell. Havre de grace high is a institution that has served the community with turning individuals into citizens. It shouldn’t be taken away. J/O
The board of Ed never asked for a new Havre de Grace. They may never spend the money !
10 Million just to PLAN for something. I want to know what we are getting for our 10 million dollars. This sounds like a criminal theft of tax dollars by someone.
Bricks, mortar and computers don’t make schools more successful. It is each adult, in each classroom that does. It is shameful that the council could not find ways to allocate money to show an investment in our teachers.
Basis student competency at the collegiate level, we certainly don’t have that now – so why reward them?
You get what you pay for. You want results that fall in the top 10 in the county? Pay teachers a top 10 salary. Right now, the salary paid gets you exactly what you deserve.
Mandarin,
When over 70% of high school grads (in MD) need remedial work in math and science in order to progress in a college education, then we are not getting even close to what we pay for. Paying the same people more is insane. A private sector company would go out of business… but this is government and apparently there is no standard.
Also – I gather what you might be inferring is that if we paid the same teachers more, then they would start doing their job? That’s funny, when the state says we are 80% competent – making them complicit in the charade.
Now, I am sure this post, like all the others like it, will get banged down by those who do not like the truth – but that doesn’t change the truth. So, all you embarrassed edu-doodles bang this post down as quickly as you can.
Burbey Bunch,
Those sentiments sound familiar. Many try to recreate the poetry of my posts, but alas, fall way short. Again, the sign of true greatness is repeated imitation by lesser talent. L
Where do you get. 70% from?
Let’s not forget that this cannot be fully placed upon the head of the teachers. I am sure that they are part of the issue, but they are by no means the entire issue. Since people blast anyone that tries to place some blame on SOME parents in our communities, what about the kids themselves?
I go to the dentist twice per year. Each time I go, I am told that I need to continue brushing as I am, but I also need to start flossing. The dentist even gives me a nice roll of dental floss for me to use daily. Yet, I ignore this advice. I hate flossing and won’t use the floss that he has given me. And yet, every time I go my gum health is consistently deteriorating. Who’s fault is that? My dentist? Seriously?
I think we see this a lot in education. I think teachers create lessons and give students tools to learn and the students refuse to use them. They refuse homework, they ignore the need to study, and show up and expect the information to stick in their heads by some magical experience.
Now is this every student? No. Of course not. Many study and prepare and work hard. Unfortunately, this is not the majority.
Say what you want, but when my kid brings home a bad grade, I assume the issue is mostly his. We are losing that in our county. Now, it has to be the teacher’s fault because every parent refuses to believe that it could possibly be their child’s fault when they fail.
Some teachers need replaced. No doubt. Yet to lump them into a category of lazy slackers is the same mentality as lumping all students into the gifted category. It makes us feel good, but it is not even remotely close to being accurate.
It gets you more than you deserve!
Cdev,
You’re the same lazy-ass, frozen-in-place government employee that didn’t even read the report published online in the Dagger regarding state testing. You are so used to doing absolutely freakin’ nothing that every other post you make is asking somebody to do something for you. Look in the Bureau of Labor Statistics and add the official unemployed to the number of working age not in the labor force. We have been in this sorry state for over a year. Actually, for April 2014 you have 92 million working age not in the labor force and 9.8 million officially unemployed. Check it out yourself.
First off I don’t work for govt . I work for a private company. Second I beg your pardon that I don’t believe every statistic thrown out there without asking for a source and how they arrived at it. That 70% number you cite refers to community college students only. There was a lot of cream skimmed off the top to say nothing of the financial interest the school has in forcing a paid for non credit course!
Imitation Doodle,
Now! Now! Oh imitation doodle. Trying to serpentine and corkscrew a response because ‘ums can’t deal with the truth is very governmental.
Time for a Burbey!
“There is much more than a hunch, that the imitation doodle
will one day be in the Burbey Bunch.
The Burbey Bunch
The Burbey Bunch
Imitation doodle will be in the Burbey Bunch.”
Cold. Try try again.
Cdev,
Information from the Remediation Rates of Maryland High School Graduates.
But even better news: Burbey Bunchies are helping to update the history of Maryland by rewriting some outdated texts. In the future students will read how the wagons going west on the National Highway were led by women desiring to obtain equal pay for equal work for the indigenous females. The hapless males road along because they were kicked out of their one room school houses for making finger muskets.
You do provide some value entertainment – somewhat reminiscent of a poorly written sitcom.
Bad News,
Exactly! Perfectly appropos isn’t it, what with the willy-nilly, feminine silly system we have. When are we going to start preparing our graduates for a country that has 101 million working age people unemployed and 20% of all households without a single family member employed.
I know. It is more important to focus on self esteem, selfies and eliminating finger guns.
Hahaha. Good one.
All this politically correct, tow the line, follow the leader, mumbo jumbo has ruined public school to the point where many schools are below what they think should be capacity, continued with year after year more and more decline in public education enrollment.. even though the population grows and “the wealth increases.”
Meanwhile, groups that offer competitive brainstorming, skillset, and actual “social skills” like Destination Imagination get shit on. I guess HCPS is scared of kids using cordless drills? God for bid you teach students any type of real life skills, I guess it’s just more of the same. Like a Dairy farm, get em’ in, milk it, and get em’ out fast. Turn everyone into a brainless teet sucker that needs to ask for help for everything,
Maybe a non-school employed mentor of the club said what needed to be said, and someone at the school didn’t like their comment and made sure to make an example of it? Who knows?
Link please ?
I’m with Jay. 10 MILLION DOLLARS ! just for planning. Even in Maryland that should shock taxpayers. I understand there is more to school construction than engineering, contractors, and material but can’t you build a new school for that much.
Public Education is basically the Captain, and crew gawking standing aboard a ship gawking a big iceberg off the bow with a stuck helm and everyone scared to order full speed ahead to get it over with.
Incase some Harford County educated people need remedial help. the term “bow” is used to describe the point most forward aboard a vessel that navigates the water.
The term “helm” is described as the ‘wheel’ that steers the direction of the vessel on board.
How about money for a 20ft high wall with Barb wire around Edgewood High
I m surprised Lisanti didn’t also offer amendments to buy the other 2 EPA waterfront clean-up sites in Havre de Grace. For the money they are wasting on a new elaborate library and these waterfront sites they could have had a school designed.
Cdev,
First of all, a lot of cream was not skimmed off if you took the time (which you never do) to notice that the 4 year numbers are dropped to 50% because some schools do not offer remedial courses. But still, 70% and 50% are tragic numbers compared to the 80% our schools claim are competent. And, if you don’t work for the government you have all the governmental dodges by claiming that our state supported colleges are making extra money out of claiming that our state run high schools are incompetent.
Oh, and by the way, I suggest you look something up now and then. Why would you immediately assume that the colleges are ripping the students off when even the high schools are looking into the problem.