Maryland School Budgets In Decline

Maryland's largest county, Montgomery County, has long been known for largely exorbitant spending on education. With a county budget of nearly $4 billion, next year's school budget will be less than what was requested. The phenonmenon is happening across the state.

After one of the most heated budget debates in recent memory, the Montgomery County Council is moving toward final approval of a $4 billion county spending plan that delivers all but a small amount of the money sought by the school system.

Although proposed trims in Superintendent Jerry D. Weast's $2 billion request are not huge -- perhaps as little as $6 million -- the approach suggests that the county government may be taking a harder stand on school funding as state and local lawmakers confront looming deficits.

The problem statewide is two fold. First, the housing market is cooling so property taxes are no longer growing at a pace that fueled record budgets for the past ten years or so. Second, the state govenrment and most of the larger county govenrments are run, usually by super majorities, of Democrats and largely have been able to spend with impunity, fueled by record tax receipts.

But the state is facing a $1.5 to $2 billion dollar deficit next year and the counties are feeling similar pain. If $6 million in spending cuts is what must be done this year, next year's budget will likely hurt Superintendant Weast even more.