Andrews: No chance of full schools funding

Gazette:  Request for 7 percent higher spending plan ‘not affordable,' councilman says

by Marcus Moore
Staff Writer

...Councilman Philip M. Andrews, however, said this week that the fiscal 2011 spending request has "zero" chance of being fully funded, given the recession, which has devastated the housing market and cut deeply into tax revenues.

The system's spending request is 7 percent higher than the current fiscal year schools budget, and "that's not affordable," said Andrews (D-Dist. 3) of Gaithersburg, a member of the County Council's Education Committee.

"It would require us to savage county government programs," he said. "That is unacceptable and unreasonable."...