The Board of Education tonight approved a $1.59 billion operating budget for Fiscal Year 2023 that addresses critical issues facing Anne Arundel County Public Schools as it prepares to meet the onset of mandates set forth by the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future and continues to meet the needs of a growing student population.
The Board made no changes to the operating budget approved earlier this week by the County Council. The plan contains 424 new positions, including 207.8 to meet instructional requirements of the Blueprint that address college and career readiness, services for special education students, and early childhood school readiness, among other items. Those positions also include 19.1 in the final phase of staffing for Crofton High School.
The budget also fully funds the $53.2 million compensation request made by the Board when it initially approved its budget in February. Pending completion of negotiated agreements with employee bargaining units, that amount is sufficient to provide Blueprint-required $10,000 increases to National Board Certified teachers, a 4 percent cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for all employees, a compensation placeholder equivalent to step movement for eligible employees, and the final phase of back steps or step equivalents for eligible employees in Unit II through Unit VI who missed those increases due to economic constraints in Fiscal Year 2016. The approval of a negotiated agreement with Unit I employees earlier this year resolved the back step issue for teachers, school counselors, and similar school system staff.
The Board has successfully reached agreements for the coming year with the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, Local 1693 and the Secretaries and Assistants Association of Anne Arundel County. It has not yet reached agreements with the Teachers Association of Anne Arundel County or the Association of Educational Leaders, which represent teachers and administrators, respectively.
The additional positions in the budget approved tonight also include 48 to continue conversion of half-day prekindergarten programs to full day, 41 to assist students with special needs, 27 teachers to address growing enrollment, and 20 allocated to English Language Development teachers and technicians. There are also 22.4 positions – 8.0 assistant principals, 7.0 school counselors, 4.4 school psychologists, 3.0 social workers – to help meet social and emotional needs of students.
CAPITAL BUDGET
County Executive Steuart Pittman and the County Council fully funded the Board’s capital budget request. The $199.2 million plan, approved unanimously by the Board tonight, includes $122.9 million in construction funding for six major school projects: Quarterfield Elementary, Hillsmere Elementary, Rippling Woods Elementary, Old Mill West High School, West County Elementary, and Old Mill Middle School South.
It also includes $5.3 million for design of a new Center of Applied Technology – North to be built on the current Old Mill High School campus, and $10 million for classroom additions at various schools.