From Del. Mary-Dulany James:
It is an honor and a privilege to serve you and represent Harford County in the Maryland General Assembly. This year the legislature was able to pass a budget which: invests in education by allocating 11 million to the Harford County Community College, boosts private sector investment through the Northeastern Maryland Additive Manufacturing Innovation Authority and protects the environment.
The fiscal 2015 budget passed by the General Assembly (SB 170 and 172) continues to investment in: education, the environment, public safety and jobs. The budget also maintains State spending growth of 3.5% to keep up with inflation and assure that our valuable government agencies such as DHR have the resources they need to help Marylander’s.
The budget also works to strengthen the Middle Class by:
• Fully funding K-12 education ($6.1 billion), including $4.3M to expand pre-kindergarten programs;
• Increasing funding for public universities and community colleges (11 million for Harford Community College), including capping university tuition at 3%;
• Funds environmental and public safety priorities; and
• Supports State workers with cost of living and merit increases, for the first time since 2009, and avoid cuts to retiree benefits.
What about Harford County teachers?
Dope
The teachers are paid by the County, not the State. The budget passed yesterday by the County Council is the one that shortchanged deputies, teachers, and other county employees.
Not exactly Keith. Teachers are paid by the local Board of Ed, not the county or the state. The Board of Ed gets its money from both the county and the state — about 50-50. The county budget passed by the County Council does not specify how the local Board of Ed spends its money (i.e. salaries, books, transportation, etc.), it just specifies the total amount which is $2.3 million more than last year.
Thank you for the clarification regarding the educational system.
The deputies and the other county employees are still being shortchanged locally.
County, state, federal, all the same; the money all comes out of our pockets via taxes.
Wow!! BLS shows us that wages in Harford County went down almost 3% last year – so what a way to look out for the county there babe! State spending goes up 3.5% (along with the taxes to pay for it), college expense goes up 3% and state employees get a raise!!
Well, I guess only state employees will be able to send their children to the county colleges – as well as afford to pay for the remedial courses since their high school education sucked so badly.
I notice that county employees aren’t mad about the wasteful spending and tax increases, they are only mad that they didn’t get sloppy seconds on all the loot.
Thank you for keeping us updated on the Maryland General Assembly!
years of no pay raise or cost of living?…sloppy seconds would work for me
Bobgunn,
You’re an honest man. I like that.
I will add that there was a debate the other night between some chief exec wannabes – both in the same party as the current ruling regime. What came out was some honesty.
Examples:
In the last 8 years 8,000 small businesses left the state.
In the last 8 years 4 major fortune 500 companies left the state.
In the last 8 years there were 40 tax increases.
Looks like the party in power wants to run for a governor’s slot by running against itself. But, as we know, it is all smoke and mirrors. As soon as they get in it will be hooray me and hell with you as far as government is concerned.
So, into whose neck will the government doodles sink their fangs when the parade out of the state starts doubling and tripling?