Operating Budget Testimony
County Council
April 6, 1998
Good evening, Mr. Leggett and Members of the County Council. My name is JoAnn Zuercher and with me are Beth Kellar and Lafe Solomon. We are the Walt Whitman Cluster Coordinators and we are here to testify on the Cluster's behalf. We strongly encourage the County Council to fund in full the Board of Education's Fiscal Year 1999 Operating Budget and to reconsider the Councit's recommendation that the school system is budget be cut significantly.
We understand and appreciate that the Council supports a reduction in class size and wants the Board of Education to take the steps necessary to achieve this goal. We hope that a signiflcant and meaningful reduction in class size is achieved. We are concerned, however, about what would happen to our schools if the school system is budget proposal is cut.
Will a reduction interfere with the ability to improve opportunities for middle school students to study mathematics at advanced levels? Will we fail to increase the number of students completing Algebra I by the end of ninth grade? Will we fail to remain competitive with surrounding jurisdictionns as we hire new teachers to replace the large numbers of experienced teachers who will be retiring? With the soaring costs of textbooks, will our students be forced to make do with outdated materials? Will the Special Education program be forced to cut back on teachers, aides and initiatives, including mainstreaming efforts? We think the answer is yes in each of these examples and in many more as well.
The County has made cuts in many different ways over the last several years. Middle School sports programs were eliminated entirely and later reinstituted at a minimal level and are funded by middle and high school activity fees. Bell times an staggered to reduce transportation costs but can cause complications for families. Art, Music and Physical Education exist only in the most basic forms. Support staff at each stage of the school system have been cut, placing extra burdens on classroom teachem Guidance counselors are assigned extremely large numbers of students and are stretched exceedingly thin. Media Center staffing is far lower than in past years. Frankly, we need to look for ways to improve services not to reduce them further.
The call for reductions in the education budget would lead one to believe that we are dealing with a downturn in the economy and the County's level of resources. Yet this is in fact a time of strong economic health for our County. If the education budget cannot be funded fully at such a time how can we claim to offer excellence in public education? Current proposals to reduce class size are a start but they must be just the beginning. The County needs to make a commitment to its students that there will be more funds committed to guarantee further reductions in class size.
My personal view, based on twelve years of experience with education in the County Is public schools, is that we are coasting on our reputation. Comparing the educational experience of my oldest child to that of my youngest child, I have seen a steady increase in class size and in the demands placed on the classroom teacher as well as an erosion in the integrity of the school system Is facilities.
When monies were tight, not only was fat cut from the school system's budget, so were a variety of important programs. Any further cuts you make will adversely affect what goes on in the classrooms. You must keep education as the County Is number one priority. A superior educational system brings in business, attracts home buyers, and is the cornerstone of Montgomery County's economy. A good school system is one of the things that keeps property values high which in turn generates propeny tax revenues for the County. If there is to be a commitment to excellence in our public school system, there should be no hesitation to fund fully the Board of Education's budget at a time when the County can afford to do so.
Thank you for listening to the views of our Whitman community. We hope you will consider them as you make your decision on funding the Board of Education's operating budget.