Controversy continues as Harford County Schools faces $19 million cut in proposed budget

BALTIMORE — Harford County Public Schools is fighting for more funding as the proposed FY24 county budget looks to cut more than $19 million from the school district.

Harford County Executive Bob Cassilly contends the proposed amount is enough, citing other funding that'll come through. But, the school district said what's currently allotted just isn't feasible.

In his first budget as Harford County Executive, Cassilly wanted to not increase taxes. Part of doing that, bringing the education part of the budget down to around $304 million.

In the last budget, education had around $324 million.

Cassilly said HCPS has more than $90 million in surplus. Couple that with an expected bump in state Blueprint funds coming, and he estimates HCPS should actually get $20 million more than it got last budget.

"I can't go to the taxpayers and say the school's sitting on $90 million in surplus, but I'm going to raise your taxes so they can keep sitting on their surplus," Cassilly said. "This doesn't make sense to me."

HCPS Superintendent Dr. Sean Bulson has an issue with that argument. He acknowledges all of that funding, but he says there are strings attached.

The state Blueprint funds aren't meant to replace county funds, according to Bulson. He also said a lot of the surplus is spoken for.

"Some of it is held in accounts where it needs to be held for future emergencies, like our health care account, where we're required to keep a certain amount there," Bulson said.

With pandemic-era federal funding also running out, this first-ever decrease in education funding is even more stressful for Bulson.

Linda McCully's kids went through HCPS schools, her daughter is now actually an HCPS teacher.

She said more funding would definitely help her daughter's students.

"She has wonderful ideas, wonderful thoughts, how to better help these kids in all areas of their life, not just academically," McCully said. "But, unfortunately, there's not funding for the resources that she needs to help them in the way that they need help."

Harford County Council has started budget work sessions, continuing them and other public hearings until they vote to approve the budget. That vote is expected around late May.

The new budget takes effect in June.