SNOW HILL – As the budget process nears, county leaders are again expressing concern over increased education spending.
During a regular meeting Tuesday, the Worcester County Commissioners voted 5-2 to contact the Eastern Shore delegation to share their objections over rising education spending.
“They may push this down our throats but we don’t have to swallow it,” Commissioner Chip Bertino said. “Let’s do something.”
The decision to object to the increase in school funding came after the commissioners were presented with information from the Worcester County Board of Education advising that Maintenance of Effort (MOE) funding — the requirement that counties provide the same amount of per-pupil funding as they did the previous year — would amount to $761,792 more in FY 2017 than the county allotted the school system last year. Harold Higgins, the county’s chief administrative officer, said the figure, which represented a 1-percent increase, was accurate.
Nevertheless several commissioners voiced concern over the increase. Commissioner Jim Bunting pointed out Worcester already spent more per pupil than nearly every other county in the state.
“This is a snowball that’s pretty big already and it just keeps getting bigger and bigger,” he said.
Bertino asked what recourse the county had. Higgins explained that there was a Maintenance of Effort waiver process through the state’s school board. He said the problem Worcester encountered was the fact that through the state’s wealth formula, it was deemed a rich county because of the large accessible base created by the array of second homes in the Ocean City area.
Commissioner Merrill Lockfaw said the county was constantly investing in education because of state mandates.
“You just can’t keep demanding increase after increase…,” he said. “When are we going to say enough is enough?”
Higgins said the county had challenged Maintenance of Effort before and lost.
“The appeal is to the state school board so you’re making an appeal to educators,” Higgins said. You really have to dot your i’s and cross your t’s.”
Bertino, however, remained eager to pursue the issue. He made the motion to have staff draft letters outlining the commissioners’ concerns to send to the politicians representing Worcester County at the state level. The motion passed 5-2, with Bud Church and Joe Mitrecic opposed.
“I think we need to bring it to their attention,” Bertino said. “Whether we’re going to get anywhere that’s another story. I don’t think we ought to go silently into the night.”
Mitrecic questioned the motion and said that he saw the MOE funding increase and the county wealth formula used by the state as two different issues.
Bertino replied his motion was to object to the MOE funding increase, which was based on the perceived wealth of Worcester County.
“I believe we need to fight the 1 percent and question the formula,” he said.
Bunting agreed and pointed out that if the county provided the school system with an increase in funding this year it would only make next year’s MOE figure go up.
“I think it’s important we take action now,” he said.
The Worcester County Board of Education last month approved a preliminary budget of $102 million for FY 2017. The budget, which includes salary increases for teachers and bus drivers, is based on a county grant of just under $83 million — $3.4 million more than the school system received last year.
