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Committee Hearing Scheduled For Bill That Would Cap Education Cuts

February 22nd, 2012 by WCBC Radio

A committee hearing is scheduled for today on a bill sponsored by State Senator George Edwards to cap K-12 education cuts by more than 5 percent in Maryland counties. The hearing is scheduled at 1 p.m. in front of the Budget and Taxation Committee.  Governor Martin O’Malley’s fiscal 2013 budget includes a 5.5 percent cut in funding for Allegany County and an 11.8 percent cut in funding for Garrett County. This is on top of a 6 percent cut these two jurisdictions took in funding during the fiscal 2012 budget. Edwards told WCBC News that in essence the bill would limit the cuts per year to 5 percent through 2015. The cuts are the largest faced by any of the school systems in the state. Allegany County is the poorest county in the state, with a median income of around $37,747. Allegany County School Superintendent David Cox will be in Annapolis for the hearing today and he says that the state really needs to look at how the wealth formula is computed. The wealth formula uses a calculation based on a number of financial factors some legislators believe results in a skewed appraisal of the financial condition of some counties and their ability to fund local schools…





 

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