Schools Budget Proposal Offers No Raise for Teachers

By Rosalind S. Helderman and Nelson Hernandez
Washington Post Staff Writers
Thursday, January 10, 2008; PG03

Prince George's schools Superintendent John E. Deasy presented an austere budget proposal to the Board of Education on Monday that includes no raises for teachers and pauses expansions of some of the school system's signature programs.

The $1.67 billion proposed budget would increase spending by $13.5 million over last year's budget, Deasy said, but it contains $16.9 million less than what would be needed to maintain the programs in place. Deasy said he wanted to keep the cutbacks from affecting the classroom.

The brake on spending changes the pattern of the past several years, when the state began a massive increase in education funding as part of the Bridge to Excellence Act. Now, with the real estate market in crisis and property tax revenue likely to stagnate or decline, educational leaders will have to fight for every dollar from cash-strapped state and county governments.

"I wish it were last year again," Deasy said. "I wish it were the last four years again."

Deasy said he planned to save money by eliminating 70 jobs in administration and non-classroom positions. About 275 teaching positions will be removed as well, a change made possible by declining student enrollment. Some of Deasy's academic initiatives, such as the International Baccalaureate and America's Choice programs, are to be maintained but not expanded to other schools.

The least popular measure, however, will probably be the lack of teachers' raises. Teachers have received fairly generous raises since Deasy took office in May 2006, but Donald Briscoe, the president of the Prince George's County Educators' Association, said that he did not want teachers to lose ground compared with surrounding jurisdictions.

"That is a major concern of ours," Briscoe said. "Of course it's not something that we wish to hear. We won't be taking that lying down. That's for sure."

Deasy responded: "I've always said to labor unions, 'When we had the money we gave that money.' " Board members' reactions were cautious because they had not reviewed the budget in detail.

"I wish we had more," said Ron L. Watson (At Large), the board's vice chairman. "We're committed to continue the gains that we've had with what we have to work with. We're committed to finding ways to get additional revenue sources."

Linda Thomas (District 4) echoed the idea of getting additional revenue and said: "It's going to hurt all the way around this year."

Game On for Edwards

For the kind of campaign she is trying to run, congressional candidate Donna F. Edwards could hardly have scripted Tuesday morning's event better.

Five weeks before she takes on eight-term U.S. Rep. Albert R. Wynn (D-Md.) in the Democratic primary for Maryland's 4th Congressional District seat, Wynn held a breakfast fundraiser at the glassy Capitol Hill offices of Entergy, an energy company that is the nation's second-largest nuclear energy generator.

According to campaign finance reports, Entergy's political action committees have given Wynn $18,000 since 2001. An invitation to the breakfast suggested donations of $1,000 for political action committees and $250 or $500 for individuals.

Edwards, a Prince George's lawyer who got within 3 percentage points of the incumbent in 2006 in part by arguing he is beholden to corporate donors, showed up on the sidewalk outside with a knot of about 20 supporters, who held signs with such slogans as "Dirty $$ = Dirty Congress" and "Lobbyists vs. Constituents."

"When you're owned lock, stock and barrel by the corporate interests that fund your campaign, it's no surprise about the kind of policy we get," she told the group.

Wynn and a few aides walked through the Edwards supporters, making no comments. Afterward, his campaign released a statement highlighting investments in Halliburton made by Edwards's employer, the Arca Foundation.

The nonprofit group, from which she has taken a leave of absence as executive director, uses its investment returns to fund progressive causes. The company has invested about $1 million in Exxon Mobil and Halliburton.

"Ms. Edwards' actions today are merely a desperate attempt to mislead the voters, create a smokescreen and redirect scrutiny away from her own questionable fundraising activities and investments and ties to Halliburton," said Lori Sherwood, Wynn's campaign manager.

In a recent interview, Arca board member Margery Tabankin said that, as an employee, Edwards has no control over the foundation's investments. "If Donna were the investment counselor to Arca . . . I'd say maybe he has something," Tabankin said. "But it's a big stretch and tries to make linkages that don't exist."

Sherwood, however, said Edwards was hypocritical to criticize Wynn for corporate money while not speaking out against Arca investments that help the foundation pay her salary. At Tuesday's event, Wynn left his car parked directly in front of the building, allowing Edwards's supporters to take plenty of pictures of themselves in front of his congressional license plate -- for posting, no doubt, to various blogs that have adopted her campaign as a national cause.

"Voters haven't had a choice. That's why somebody can get money from the nuclear industry five weeks before an election and think it's okay. It's up to the voters to decide if this is okay," said Matt Stoller, who edits OpenLeft.com and attended the event.

Will voters in the district decide energy industry fundraising is a no-no? Will they instead conclude Wynn's campaign donations are canceled out by investment decisions made by Edwards's employer and contributors, as Wynn clearly hopes?

Stoller argued that in the current political climate (Have you heard? Change is apparently all the rage) that Maryland voters will care if they learn about such events. And judging by this week's other big development in the race, there's a good chance they might.

Service Employees International Union 1199, which has endorsed Edwards, has started to make good on its pledge to spend real money on the race, already sending a flier to district residents and funding automated campaign calls. "Lobbyists pay-to-play," reads part of their blistering mailer. Meanwhile, look for a big pro-Wynn rally by other labor unions today.

Five weeks to go, and this race is on.

What Endorsement?

Can't quite remember who you're supporting in the presidential race?

If not, you're not alone.

Last month, Maryland campaigners for Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) sent out a long list of state politicians who had decided to back his bid for the Democratic nomination. Among the names was Prince George's County Executive Jack B. Johnson (D).

Johnson, asked Monday if he was excited about his candidate's big win at the Iowa caucuses, said he was thrilled about the Democratic Party's prospects in November and said he plans to support the party's nominee, whomever that turns out to be.

"I haven't endorsed anyone," he said. "I'm supporting the Democratic nominee right now."

After the event, Johnson spokesman James Keary called to say Johnson had checked his records and discovered that he had "authorized the use of his name" by the Obama campaign.

Asked how Johnson could forget endorsing a presidential candidate, Keary said, "He just wanted to check his records. . . . He wanted to see exactly what he authorized his name be used on."

. . . as for 4th District

At the same Monday event, the county executive insisted he also has not endorsed a candidate in the race for the Democratic nomination for Maryland's 4th Congressional District seat.

His appearance at a recent party for Edwards volunteers caused much buzz and speculation.

"It was a Christmas party," Johnson said. "Don't make too much of it."