As Maryland Students Head Back To School, Larry Hogan Prepares To Push Through Plan To Divert School Funding
Hogan’s Plan Would Force Millions Cut From School Budgets – Largest Cuts Will Impact Prince George’s County and Baltimore City Schools
Annapolis, Md. – Tomorrow, Maryland students head back to school – but some of their schools will be forced to deal immediately with sudden budget cuts if Governor Larry Hogan pushes through his new proposal to make immediate cuts to education funding.
Last week, Hogan announced a plan to cut $68 million from Maryland’s budget, outside of the regular budget process – including a $6 million cut in disparity grants which are currently being spent on public schools despite Hogan’s attempt to sweep this impact under the rug. The proposed $6 million cut would result in a $4.2 million cut to Prince George’s County’s school budget, nearly $1 million to Baltimore City’s school budget, and additional cuts in other parts of the state. The proposed budget cuts will be reviewed by the three-member Board of Public Works this Wednesday and would hit schools immediately.
In case you missed it, the Maryland Democratic Party released the following statements last week from Delegate Maggie McIntosh and MDP Chair Kathleen Matthews in response to that proposal.
“Governor Hogan is circumventing the budget process hoping Marylanders won’t notice as he cuts funding from their schools to further his own agenda. This proposal would force our school districts to cut almost $1M from Baltimore City schools and an astounding $4.2M in Prince George’s County, with additional cuts around the state. These cuts show the sad truth about Governor Hogan’s pretense of an interest in Baltimore. Press conferences aside, Hogan cannot be trusted to support the city’s best interests.”
– Delegate Maggie McIntosh, Chair, Maryland House Appropriations Committee
“Maryland’s public schools are one of our greatest assets. Governor Hogan has put that all at risk by recommending cuts to the education budget every single year, with the unfortunate result of Maryland’s schools slipping in national rankings. It’s a typically short-sighted Republican policy that has no place in Maryland.”
– Kathleen Matthews, Chair, Maryland Democratic Party