040209 action needed city schools funding decreased in senate budget bill
TRANSCRIPT
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8/14/2019 040209 ACTION NEEDED City Schools Funding Decreased in Senate Budget Bill
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April2,2009
DearColleagues,Friends,FamiliesandSupportersofCitySchools:
Iamwritingtoalertyoutoagravedangertothefutureofourchildren. LastFriday,theSenateBudgetand
TaxationCommitteeproposedchangestotheBudgetBill,discussedandadoptedyesterdayinthefullSenate,
thatthreatenfundingforeducationforthiscomingfiscalyearandforyearstocome.Mostnotably,the
proposalcutkeyeducationfundingformulasthatwerecontainedintheGovernorsproposedbudgetandinthe
HouseversionoftheBudgetBill. Yesterday,theSenatevotedtoapprovethesechanges.
Specifically,theSenateBudgetBillcontainsthefollowingprovisions:
a. Reductionoftheproportionofpaymentforthecostofnonpublicplacementsfrom80/20to70/30(thisisalsopartoftheHouseBudgetBill).
b. Taking40%ofthefundsallocatedforGCEI(thegeographicindex)andputtingitintothePublicSchoolConstructionProgram(withoutguaranteestothedistrictslosingdollars) reducingGCEIfundingtoa60
percentlevelinFY2010.GCEIispartofThornton,andboththeGovernorsbudgetandtheHouse
versionoftheBudgetBillproposedtofunditat100%. Thisrepresentsacutofalmost$9Minour
budget.c. TheinflationfactorisnotreinstatedinFY11andFY12aspreviouslyadoptedbytheNovember2007SpecialSession.
d. Changingtheapplicationofthesupplementalgrantfrom1%to.5%inFY2011,thendowntoaflatholdharmless
in
FY
2012.
e. EliminatingthemandatedinflationfactorincreaseinthestudenttransportationgrantinFY2011andFY2012.
TheimpactoftheseproposedcutsonBaltimoreCitydwarfsthelossofopportunityanyfundingthatwewill
receiveasaresultofthestimulusdollarscomingtoCitySchoolsfromthefederalgovernmentasformuladriven
grantssuchasTitleI(forfreeandreducedluncheligiblestudents)andIDEA(forstudentswithdisabilities).We
estimatetheimpacttobe$12MinFY2010,$36.5MinFY2011and$70.8MinFY2012(whenthereisno
guaranteeoffederalstimulusfunding). Theseestimatedfiguresrepresentareductioninfundingcomparedwith
whatwewouldhaveexpectedundertheNovember2007SpecialSessionfundinglevels. Thesefiguresdonot
includereductionsinconstructionfundingforagingschoolsorschoolimprovementfundingthatCitySchools
receivedinthepast(whichaggregatetothelossofanother$6M).IwanttothankSenatorsJoanCarterConwayandLisaGladdenforadvocatingforcefullythatthesechanges
shouldnothappen. IhavegreatfaithinourCityDelegationandtrustthattheSenateandHousememberson
theConferenceCommitteewillagreetotheHouseversionoftheBudgetBill.WhiletheHouseversionreduces
ourCitySchoolsbudgetby$3MinFY2010(incomparisonwiththeGovernorsproposedbudget),itrepresents
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8/14/2019 040209 ACTION NEEDED City Schools Funding Decreased in Senate Budget Bill
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anacceptablecompromiseinthesetougheconomictimes.
Anythingelse,especiallychangesinthefundingformulasforeducationnextyearandintothefuture,cannot
holdintheabsenceoflengthydebateandfullaccountabilityforallinvolved. ThecurrentSenateBudgetBill
shouldbeunacceptabletotheparentsofpublicschoolchildrenthroughouttheStateofMaryland,becauseit
impactstheentirestate,notsimplyBaltimoreCity.
PleaseusetheenclosedlisttocalloremailyourlocalsenatoranddelegateTODAYandmakesurethateducation
isnotcut. Urgethemtocalltheconferees.Theeducationofchildrenisthepillaruponwhicheverysociety
shouldbebuilt. Thekidsshouldmattermost,anditisourobligationtoensurethatweprotecttheirrightto
adequateeducationalresources. Thankyouforyouradvocacyonbehalfofourkids.
Sincerely,
AndresA.Alonso,Ed.D. BrianMorris,Chair
ChiefExecutive
Officer
Baltimore
City
Board
of
School
Commissioners
CallYourElectedOfficials:
Sen.CatherineE.Pugh(District40)410.841.3656 [email protected]
Del.FrankM.ConawayJr.(District40)410.841.3189 [email protected]
Del.BarbaraA.Robinson(District40)410.841.3545 [email protected]
Del.ShawnA.Tarrant(District40)410.841.3030 [email protected]
Sen.LisaA.Gladden(District41)410.841.3697 [email protected]
Del.JillP.Carter(District41)410.841.3782 [email protected]
Del.NathanielOaks(District41)410.841.3283 [email protected]
Del.Samuel
Rosenberg
(District
41)
410.841.3297
Sen.JoanCarterConway(District43)410.841.3145 [email protected]
Del.CurtisS.Anderson(District43)410.841.3291 [email protected]
Del.AnnMarieDoory(District43)410.841.3476 [email protected]
Del.MaggieMcIntosh(District43)410.841.3990 [email protected]
Sen.VernaL.Jones(District44)410.841.3612 [email protected]
Del.KeithE.Haynes(District44)410.841.3801 [email protected]
Del.RuthM.Kirk(District44)410.841.3802 [email protected]
Del.MelvinM.Stukes(District44)410.841.3544 [email protected]
Sen.NathanielJ.McFadden(District45)410.841.3165 [email protected]
Del.TalmadgeBranch(District45)410.841.3398 [email protected]
Del.CherylD.Glenn(District45)410.841.3257 [email protected]
Del.HattieN.Harrison(District45)410.841.3486 [email protected]
Sen.GeorgeW.DellaJr.(District46)410.841.3600 [email protected](District46)410.841.377 [email protected]
Del.CarolynJ.Krysiak(District46)410.841.3303 [email protected]
Del.BrianK.McHale(District46)410.841.3319 [email protected]