Money-wise, difficult decisions are likely to be needed in a climate where everyone is clamoring for more money. That appears to be the current state of Calvert County Public Schools as a result of comments made at the local school board’s Feb. 22 work session.
The combination of a potentially large budget cut for fiscal 2025 from the state and ongoing contract negotiations with two employee unions is causing heartburn for the county’s public education leaders.
“This is a tough year in regards to the budget,” Andraé Townsel, superintendent of schools, stated during the session at the system’s central office in Prince Frederick. Townsel said “some very tough decisions” will need to be made.
“We are looking at everything in our budget, with what we must reduce,” he said.
Combined with a state allocation reduction of over $22 million, Townsel estimated that a potential $10 million shortfall from the county government could mean a $32 million deficit in fiscal 2025.
“We are putting together a plan of what we may have to do,” Townsel said, adding that he expects to meet soon with county government officials about the situation.
“Our priorities need to be fairly clear,” school board member Lisa Grenis said. She added that she would like the board to take a look at administrative positions to determine cuts “outside the classroom.”
During the superintendent’s budget presentation last month, Townsel said state officials indicated Calvert’s allocation was being drastically cut due to the county’s wealth resulting from revenues gained from the Cove Point Liquefied Natural Gas Plant in Lusby.
The superintendent said last month he had been told the state’s decision was a result in a miscalculation, which was made without the factoring in of the expiration of the plant’s payments in lieu of taxes agreement.
“I refuse to accept that just because of a bureaucratic mistake we are going to have to hurt our system,” school board member Dawn Balinski said.
Another board member, Inez Claggett, said she wants to keep any needed budget cuts “out of the classroom” but conceded that may not be possible, adding “$32 million is hefty.”
Representatives of teachers and support staff organizations spoke about the ongoing frustrations among their ranks. The concerns include finding effective ways to implement the inclusion of special needs students in general education classrooms, discrepancies in promised pay and a lack of job security.
Dona Ostenso, president of the Calvert Education Association, said a recent job satisfaction survey distributed to school system employees indicated a pending exodus due to career changes and retirements.
Ostenso said those who offered comments when filling out the survey had cited “salary, lack of support by leadership, disrespect and negative behaviors by students, work load and no work/life balance, excessive push for inclusion” as reasons for their consideration of leaving the school system.
“Educators are the backbone of our school system,” Ostenso said, adding that recruitment and retention of good employees needed to remain a budget priority.
Letters submitted prior to the meeting also addressed the ongoing frustrations of the workforce.
“I see so many of my college friends and my own family making far more money and being treated much better in their government and private sector careers,” Sarah Branch, a Northern High School teacher wrote, adding that school system leaders appear to “have lost sight of the human element to education.”
Jeff Rochenbaugh, a Southern middle School math teacher, wrote to the school board saying the initial contract proposal to the education association shows “a frighteningly disrespectful approach to a negotiation. Most [school board] members run for their position on the premise of respect and support for teachers. Where is that now?”
While negotiations have not been open to the public, details, as told by union members, identify points of frustration.
Erica Joy, a Patuxent-Appeal Campus Elementary School speech pathologist, said a proposed one-hour increase in the workday, reductions in planning time, lack of pay step increases and no cost of living adjustments along with increasing the amount employees pay for health insurance and decreases in personal and sick leave have prompted the collective dissatisfaction.
“Something has to change,” school board member Jana Post said, adding that providing help to teachers dealing with behavioral problems in the inclusive classes “needs to be a priority.”
School board president Antoine White said he believes “10% of the students” are causing the system’s behavioral problems. He added there needs to be a “consistency” in all schools in the way the problems are handled.
“There should be some sort of baseline,” White said. “Incidents need to be reported. It doesn’t seem like we have that now.”
White urged employees to continue to send emails to the board outlining their concerns and speak directly to board members.
“It’s not an easy haul,” White said. “We are definitely operating in good faith.”
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