Education Advocates, Lawmakers Celebrate Restoration Of $140M In School Funding For Baltimore, P.G. County

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Maryland advocates and lawmakers celebrated Gov. Larry Hogan's decision to reverse $140 million in cuts to education funding, including $125.5 million in grants for Baltimore City and Prince George's County.

The governor restored the funds in a $480 million supplemental budget he sent to the Maryland General Assembly on Tuesday.

The leaders of both chambers in the Maryland General Assembly, Senate President Bill Ferguson and House Speaker Adrienne Jones, praised Hogan's turnaround.

Jones singled out the advocacy of Dels. Maggie McIntosh (D-Baltimore City), Stephanie Smith (D-Baltimore City) and Nick Charles (D-Prince George's County).

"Thank you for your work to ensure that Baltimore City & Prince George's County students aren't shortchanged," she said.

Speaking on the floor of the Senate, Ferguson said this was likely the first of several supplemental budgets submitted by the governor.

"I do want to appreciate the administration for moving forward and recognizing the importance of those funds, and I just look forward to the ongoing conversations as we navigate the budget," he said.

sharlimar douglass, chair of the Maryland Alliance for Racial Equity in Education, told WJZ she is grateful policymakers, activists, parents, educators and students were able to rally support for the funding, particularly the grants for Baltimore City and Prince George's County.

But, she said, the money is built into the Blueprint For Maryland's Future, the 10-year plan to increase education spending by billions. In early 2021, both chambers in the assembly overrode Hogan's veto of the measure.

"This is the law," douglass said. "This must show up under the Blueprint. It's not optional."

In a statement with the budget, Hogan said: "With this supplemental budget, we are providing critical resources to support Marylanders' top priorities. We look forward to working with the General Assembly in the coming weeks to secure a final budget that delivers record investments in education, major tax relief for families and retirees, and more support for police and first responders."

The Maryland Alliance for Racial Equity in Education was one of several groups to hold a press conference last week targeting Hogan's cuts, saying they severely impact the two districts with the largest populations of minority students.

While Hogan had previously claimed his initial budget for Fiscal Year 2023 includes "$151 million above the legislature's statutory funding formulas," a January fiscal briefing from the non-partisan Department of Legislative Services found his plan omitted the grants for Baltimore City and Prince George's County, plus an additional $14.2 million for support and training programs outlined in the Blueprint For Maryland's Future, also known as the Kirwan bill.

State law requires the governor to present a balanced budget, and the Maryland General Assembly can only cut from his proposals, not add or reallocate funds.

Under Kirwan, the state is required to provide additional funding to low-income districts through what's called an Education Effort Adjustment, Frank Patinella, a senior education advocate with the ACLU of Maryland, said during the group's online presentation last week.

The grants help those districts pay for the additional costs to educate students who qualify for free or reduced meals, are learning the English language or require special education.

"And that's needed in this formula, or the formula is completely inequitable," said Patinella.

Historically, districts with large populations of Black and brown students have been underfunded and asked to do more with less, and the decision to withhold $140 million for those districts "is steeped in racial inequity," douglass said last week.

Speaking with WJZ on Tuesday, douglass said, "Our groups and schools and communities, we need that funding, we shouldn't have to fight and beg to get equitable funding for our students."

During a Feb. 17 virtual event, Smith and Charles joined advocates with Strong Schools Maryland and other groups in calling for Hogan to restore the funding.

Smith said the purpose of the law is to prepare students to succeed in the 21st-century global economy.

"Stop defunding our schools, stop defunding the futures of our citizens and our young people in Baltimore City," she said in a message addressing Hogan. "There's still time to do the right thing, and we respectfully urge you to do the right thing, because the law says that you must."

In an email to WJZ on Tuesday, Smith, chair of the Baltimore City House Delegation, said a joint letter was also sent to the governor's office.

"These funds were mandated by the Blueprint for Maryland's Future and owed to Baltimore and Prince George's County Schools," she wrote. "Moreover, education advocates from across the state were unified in demanding today's outcome and I am so very grateful."

Looking beyond this year, the last of Hogan's final term in office, douglass said her organization will continue to advocate for the rights of Black and brown students, and that the education law is implemented as it's written.

"If you are for the success of Maryland, and for the economy of this state, for us to be competitive, you must fully fund the Blueprint," douglass said.

In:
• Prince George's County
• Baltimore City
• Larry Hogan