MD Democrat Curtails School Growth

A Northeastern governor is considering education spending cuts and this time it is not New Jersey’s Chris Christie. “Gov. Martin O’Malley is considering a 5 percent across-the-board cut to Maryland’s K-12 public education system, unwelcome news to school districts already scrounging for money,” Lisa Gartner reported in The Washington Examiner. “T. Eloise Foster, secretary of the State Department of Budget and Management, said in a letter to Prince George’s County Superintendent William Hite that his request for an additional $139 million in state aid ‘suggests that you believe that the governor’s winning re-election is the equivalent to winning the lottery.’”

“O’Malley emphasized his protection of education funding during his campaign, often trumpeting that his investments in education had propelled Maryland schools to the top rank in the country; a popular data point of O’Malley’s campaign was the $5.7 billion he invested in public education in the past year.”

“‘Martin O’Malley, even in the toughest of times, has made record investments in public schools,’ a campaign spot declared. ‘With Martin O’Malley, our children always come first.’”

“But the toughest of times have gotten tougher, and schools are not necessarily exempt from cuts this go-around. The state has cut $5.6 billion from its budget and eliminated 4,200 state positions over the last four years, and still faces a $1.2 billion deficit.”

“‘To submit a budget that asks for $139 million more than last year simply disregards the situation we’re in,’ said Shaun Adaemc, O’Malley’s spokesman.”

Malcolm A. Kline is the Executive Director of Accuracy in Academia.

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