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Your say County Executive John R. Leopold unveiled his budget this week, and school funding seems likely to be the central issue during approval. The County Council can add to school funding but they must cut from other portions of the budget. What do you want your councilman to do? --- I'd like to see the County Council send the BOE and Dr. Kevin Maxwell a direct and succinct message, something he and the unelected BOE can understand clearly. NO! The elected government of the State of Maryland runs the entire state on a $30 billion budget. Mr. Leopold and the Anne Arundel County Council run the county on a $1.2 billion budget. What makes Dr. Maxwell think he needs $1 billion ($13,698 per student) to run Anne Arundel County Schools? DAVE DYKE Pasadena I believe that there are other areas of the budget that the funds can be taken from to insure the future by properly educating our children in a safe, clean and functioning environment. One trip to any number of the schools in our county will show the absolute need for school funding. My daughter attends Old Mill and she makes a concerted effort not to go to the bathroom during her school day because they are in such a state of filth and disrepair. Our teachers are purchasing their own supplies while being paid well below what they deserve. Our field trips are being wiped out. Books are in horrid condition. All of this, and more, stem from the previous school budget … what will happen next year after the budget and teacher cuts? These children will grow to be the ones who care for us when we are retired. Shouldn't we equip them to the best of our ability! MINDY HAINES Millersville I am confident that the County Council, under County Executive John Leopold's watchful eye, will be responsible and cut what is necessary as they did last year. We need to re-think all of these so-called entitlements and spend on what's necessary. With the tight budget constraints we face today, government handouts should be the exception, not the rule. DAN ROBINSON Pasadena County government can expect tax revenues to fall short of projections and should be planning now for the expected shortfall. As individuals and businesses are overburdened with taxes and regulations, each suffers in meeting daily expenses because of the insatiability of government for our money. Why should schools be exempt from the pain of an economy that has stalled? Schools are a bottomless pit, never getting enough money to meet their wants, never living up to promises or expectations without more of our money. Schools aren't in business to serve the taxpayers and students. They exist to feed their own bureaucracy. MARK COLLINS Pasadena School funding is No. 1, and that includes teacher merit pay. I am satisfied with any decision the council makes regarding cuts in order to come up with the funds necessary to improve public education. SKIP MAHER Glen Burnie Right now I feel that we are headed for a recession and we should spend as little as possible. Our councilman have a very hard job ahead of them as everyone is aware of. No matter what they do or consider they are going to be under so much pressure to please everyone, people may loose there jobs and families are going to be affected. I want our councilman to sit down, look at everything and make decisions based on, "Do we need this?" and "Can we do without this?" TIM LLEWELLYN Pasadena Published 05/03/08, Copyright © 2008 Maryland Gazette, Glen Burnie, Md. | ||
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