School Officials Boycott Budget Release by County Executive

When Anne Arundel County Executive John R. Leopold stepped into the council chamber yesterday to present the first budget of his administration, several key officials were notably absent: the county's school superintendent and the president, vice president and several other members of the school board.

They were the same school officials who had fought for months with Leopold (R) over how much funding he would give them. So when Leopold finally announced what share of the county's $1.2 billion budget would go to the schools, they made a point not to be there.

School officials had requested a $101 million increase in direct funding from the county. Leopold said he would give schools significantly less -- about a $27 million increase, to $542 million. He said in his speech that he was balancing "what resources are necessary to achieve excellence within the parameters of fiscal responsibility."

A few hours later, Superintendent Kevin M. Maxwell gave a speech of his own at school headquarters. His face turned red as he attacked Leopold's decisions on school funding.

According to his staff's estimates, the school system needed a $76 million funding increase to sustain current programs and services alone. Now, he said, the schools would not only have to abandon plans for new initiatives but cut many existing ones.

"This issue isn't just about me or the teachers," Maxwell said. "It's about the children and about the future of this county."

Some of the new programs Maxwell had proposed were only partially funded, including full-day kindergarten (which is mandated by the state) and an International Baccalaureate program for middle schools. Some proposals went unfunded, such as a plan to hire about 30 security employees -- one for every high school and middle school in the county.

During their day of dueling news conferences, Leopold pointed out that his budget gave schools almost exactly half of the county budget, which he said was the highest percentage in at least 42 years.

He also talked pointedly about the school system's need to cut administrative costs -- an issue he brought up three times in his budget speech. The school system, and local government in general, must adopt the practices of businesses and find efficiencies to cut, he said.

In his rebuttal, Maxwell defended school administration costs -- which make up less than 3 percent of the school budget -- and said schools cannot be run on a business model. "For us, money is input only, and our output is graduation rates, test scores, education," he said.

At the core of their disagreement is Leopold's decision not to raise taxes in a county where voters in the past have proved strongly tax-averse. Maxwell has said that if schools are to improve, revenue must be increased.

Yesterday's budget marked a milestone for both Leopold and Maxwell, both new leaders who assumed their positions in the past year. Both men said yesterday that their relationship remained cordial, but Maxwell said they had met about three times since Leopold took office.

In past years, the superintendent would meet once a month with the executive, but Leopold postponed and then cancelled the meetings after their first one.

In coming weeks, the county council will deliberate Leopold's budget. However, the council can add to the amount Leopold has designated for a certain area, such as schools, only if it cuts elsewhere or raises taxes.

Council Chairman Ronald C. Dillon Jr. (R-Pasadena) said he does not expect the budget to drastically change. "It hit all my main priorities," he said, "and in these fiscally difficult times, there's really not that much room to move things around."