State lawmakers have begun to press the General Assembly for changes to Maryland’s school funding distribution formula, which currently gives significantly less funding to schools with higher property values.
According to the Baltimore Sun, spiking property values for schools in the city make these schools appear wealthier than they are — and as a result, city schools could face a cut of $35 million in state funding.
To combat this, lawmakers in Annapolis are constructing a plan to restore $140 million in lost school aid statewide. This plan would work to identify areas of the state budget that could take cuts, allowing more money to be shifted back to funding schools.
Additionally, State Sen. Bill Ferguson is currently re-evaluating the current school funding formula, which weighs property value at a level much higher than it weighs income. Ferguson explained that a change to the formula is necessary, in order to calculate funding based on a school district’s realized wealth rather than apparent wealth.
In Montgomery County, continued lack of state funding for its public school district would mean even more delays for planned renovation and revitalization projects, such as replacing its schools’ roofs and HVAC equipment. The average HVAC unit’s lifespan ranges anywhere from 12 to 15 years, depending on how well the unit is maintained.
The Montgomery County Board of Education has requested an amended capital program totaling $1.74 billion from the state government for these expansions and renovations — $223.3 million more than its prior capital program that had been approved.
“It’s my hope that not only our representatives in Annapolis, but also our governor, certainly understands that the largest school system in the state, and one of the best school systems in the nation, is at risk,” said Craig L. Rice, the Montgomery County council committee’s chair.
While many members of the General Assembly are focused on adjusting the school funding formula for Baltimore’s schools — and rightly so, as property wealth in the city grew by more than $1.3 billion in 2014 — Republican Del. Susan Krebs of Carroll County warned that a more comprehensive approach is key, the Sun reported.
It’s unclear if, or when, Maryland’s formula for providing funding to its public schools will be adjusted — but it will have to be soon if a crisis is to be avoided in the next fiscal year.