By Richard Parsons
The Montgomery County Council, led by Council President Valerie Ervin, voted unanimously this week to hit the "reset button" on education spending. This could be one of the Council's most politically courageous acts in decades. So how did this happen?...
...Anyone following the budget closely has seen this day coming since the great recession hit in 2008. It was inevitable that a major adjustment had to be made. Yet, conventional wisdom had it that local leaders would try to duck the issue again this year by hiding behind more short-term budget gimmicks. This week, the council surprised many observers by showing the two traits most lacking in elected officials today: backbone and leadership...
...In politics, no good deed goes unpunished, but this is the job they applied for when they ran for public office. In practical terms, the county will likely face a $29 million fine next year for not reaching the maintenance of effort funding levels, but that is a small price to pay. Taking this one-time hit in order to put school spending back on a more sound financial footing will save hundreds of millions over the years to come and, quite frankly, it had to be done...
It is not a fine, it is simply that the County will not be eligible for as much state aide as they would have been had they funded to the MOE level.
ReplyDeleteBob Astrove
A change is in the wind and there's more to follow...
ReplyDelete