Local governments in Maryland, starting in 2030, would be required to pay a total of $1.2 billion more a year for public schools under a funding formula proposed Tuesday by a panel charged with ensuring that every child, regardless of address, has access to a world-class education.
The updated formula also calls on the state to pay an additional $2.8 billion a year by 2030, which is 37 percent more than what it currently spends on education. The panel overwhelmingly voted to recommend the new formula to the Commission on Innovation and Excellence in Education, which plans to make a final recommendation to the General Assembly on how much state and local governments should spend to improve public education and make funding more equitable.
Local government officials have been waiting anxiously for months to learn how much they would be required to spend under the new formula, which would be phased in over the decade.
Under the proposal, Prince George’s County would see a 38 percent jump in its education costs, and Montgomery County would experience a 14 percent increase. The hardest-hit jurisdictions would be Kent County, which would go from spending $21 million a year to nearly $30 million, a 41 percent jump; and Baltimore City, which would double its spending from $331 million to $662 million. Others, which have paid more in past years, would see modest increases: for example, Baltimore County at 9 percent and Frederick County at 2 percent.
Click here to read the rest of the article written by Ovetta Wiggins over at the Washington Post