NEWARK, Md. - Worcester County Public Schools leaders say they are preparing to revise the district’s budget after county commissioners approved nearly $9 million in additional school funding, but not the full amount requested by the Board of Education.
Commissioners voted 4-3 Tuesday to approve an $8,963,136 increase for the school system. County leaders said the approved amount still represents an 8% increase over last year’s record funding and covers items including staff raises, health insurance, pension costs, retirement contributions, bus safety aides and substitute pay increases.
School leaders say the district remains short by millions of dollars, with several priorities still unfunded.
Superintendent Dr. Annette Wallace said the district’s budget request was already carefully reviewed before it went to commissioners.
“My biggest concern is that we presented them with a budget that was extremely responsible,” Wallace said. “There was no extra fat in that budget to cut.”
Wallace said the funding gap could affect students from the time they get on a bus in the morning until they leave school at the end of the day. She said the district is now looking at areas that could be cut or delayed, including prekindergarten, dual enrollment, technology leases and school construction funding.
One of Wallace’s biggest concerns is pre-K in Pocomoke City.
“Extreme devastation to the town of Pocomoke,” Wallace said. “When you talk about cutting pre-K in the most vulnerable area of our community, that’s the biggest issue that we have, in my opinion.”
Wallace said Pocomoke is a child care desert, and said school-based pre-K gives young children and families support they may not otherwise have.
Dual enrollment is another concern. Wallace said some high school students and families may have been counting on the school system to pay for college-level courses, but the district did not receive the money it requested for that program.
Board of Education President Todd Ferrante said he was frustrated by the commissioners’ vote.
“One of the most important things that government can do for its people is to educate them,” Ferrante said. “We’re talking about the young people of Worcester County and their education is important.”
Ferrante said the board will have to review the budget and determine what services may be reduced.
“It means that there will be less services given to students, quite frankly,” Ferrante said. “There won’t be nearly as many services that are normally given to students given to them.”
Commissioners who supported the lower funding number have cited accountability concerns, including a pending legislative audit and a separate forensic audit ordered by the school system. Ferrante said the board supports safeguards, but he does not believe audit concerns should be used as a reason to withhold student funding.
“We want to put safeguards in place so that this never happens again,” Ferrante said. “But I don’t think that should be used for an excuse not to fund this organization.”
Wallace said she will present a revised budget to the Board of Education on Monday. She said district staff will spend the next several days reviewing where additional cuts can be made.
“At the end of the day, any decision made impacts kids,” Wallace said.
