Maryland's counties are unveiling budgets now that the state legislature has allocated funds around. Budget season is fun, particularly when it comes to school budgets, because we get to see the "Budget Dance" a gyration that makes Dancing with the Stars look tame and with all the predicatbility of a Kabuki.
Step one, school board asks teh county for more money that it will need, often entailing budget increases of 5-10% more than really necessary.
Step two, counties submit their requests to the state.
Step three, states allocate money, usually based on state level political considerations and dependent largely upon who is sitting on teh budget committees and conference committees. Money is never what is asked for.
Step Four--counties tell school boards here is your money, but not a full funding of the request.
Step Five (the big finale), schools says county and state government "doesn't care about the kids."
The irony of the budget dance is that school budgets expand every year, seemingly without any connection to reality and yet nothing really ever changes.
The infighting would be a lot more amusing if the fighters weren't using school kids as the proxies for their political power grabs.
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