The Howard County Board of Education in Maryland adopted proposed general fund capital and operating budgets totaling $1.1 billion despite "extensive deliberations" to reduce the requested budgets by more than $67 million.
The board considered multiple balance-budget scenarios, consistent with the Howard County Public School System, with a focus on increasing necessary compensation to retain and attract the best educators, and increasing funding for instructional services and supports of the students.
Precisely, the increased investment in the budget allocates $47 million for employee compensation, which represents 66 percent of the increase of $72.1 million in fiscal year 2023.
“This budget advances many critical needs of our system and allows us to advance the priorities mandated by the State and those that will have the greatest impact on students,” said HCPSS Superintendent Michael J. Martirano.
The $1.1 billion budget includes financial support for various projects in:
- Guilford Park High School;
- Oakland Mills Middle School;
- Dunloggin Middle School;
- renovations to the Faulkner Ridge Center;
- partial renovation of the Research and Applications Laboratory facilities;
- systemic renovations including three HVAC replacements; and
- ongoing projects such as planning and design to address the needs of the system.
The budgets also reserved an increase of $27.9 million in funding for priority educational areas such as special education, college and career readiness, career and technical education, reading, math, and student support, as well as the opening of Guilford Park High School.
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