Examiner Montgomery faces $71m budget gap as school spending grows

The Montgomery County government is facing a $71 million hole in its fiscal 2014 budget, which some county lawmakers blame on a new state education funding law.Imposing strict penalties on counties that do not maintain their levels of per-student funding, the law effectively requires Montgomery County to give the county school system $30 million more in fiscal 2014 than in fiscal 2013, which begins July 1, and to keep funding for Montgomery College at the same level.As a result, funds available for other parts of the county -- like police, fire, libraries, and the Transportation and the Park and Planning departments -- are expected to drop by roughly $71 million, according to a report presented to the County Council's Government Operations and Fiscal Policy Committee on Monday...

...The county will need to rethink its approach to funding the school system in the future, said Councilwoman Valerie Ervin. "[School board members are] going to have to marry the funding with actually producing the results."Berliner repeated concerns that, as a result of the county's tightened purse strings, it was unwise for the school to offer employees two raises, one in July and another in May. The raises add about $65 million to the schools' costs in fiscal 2013 and 2014...

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