Maryland officials stand up against proposed plan for education, road repair cuts
A recent spending plan put forth by Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley has many local officials upset and ready to protest its fairness, according to the Baltimore Sun. Under O'Malley's plan, funding for the education system in certain areas, and for road repairs would see a significant decrease.
The proposed spending plan would see certain school districts, such as Baltimore and Prince George's County, lose $15 million and $21 million in funding, respectively, while Montgomery County's aid would rise by $33 million above this fiscal year. As for roadway repairs, nearly $438 million would be shifted away from the highway system and put back into the state's operations, something that has many quite upset.
"Not everyone's happy," said Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller after a recent meeting of Senate Democrats. Miller relayed that many legislators are quite concerned with the proposed education cuts more than anything.
Adding to this unrest are the ample, positive documented results that many school systems are showing after receiving education grants. Many schools, after receiving aid for their education systems, work diligently to incorporate smartboards, computers and classroom projectors to further their teaching capabilities. In fact, a recent report found smartboards have actually made a significant amount of preschoolers more ready to learn to read when they enter kindergarten.
