Ensure quality education for our kids

Given the importance of schools to the health of our community, it’s not surprising that we often hear from our county commissioners that they support our schools and are 100 percent behind them. Yet the county’s recent actions seem at odds with this claim.

In February, the commissioners voted unanimously to contribute $1.6 million toward the maintenance of effort of the school budget. The response was overwhelming. Two of our schools would not have to close! Teachers would get long overdue raises! There might be extra funding for curricular improvements and support! Our schools were finally being made a priority instead of an afterthought!

Then the commissioners reneged, claiming to have just discovered that the schools were sitting on “too big” of a fund balance.

It’s worth nothing that, in addition to county funds, the fund balance includes grant support that teachers and administrators have diligently sought and worked hard to earn, dollars that are earmarked for specific projects and thus not available for contingency situations. In a sense, the district’s being asked to deplete the fund balance because it’s “too big” (by the county’s estimation) is a punishment for being proactive in attracting funds elsewhere.

The county’s explanation for rescinding the $1.6 million leaves me wondering whether 1) the commissioners had a change of heart and are purposefully shifting the blame for this change to the management of the fund balance, or 2) they actually weren’t aware of the size of the fund balance when they originally pledged the funds, or 3) they actually don’t have $1.6 million and are looking for a way to back out of their pledge without admitting that they were confused about their own budget.

Any of these possibilities has the unfortunate consequence of making me feel like I can’t trust them. And when it comes to public faith in the effectiveness of our elected officials, perception is everything.

It isn’t my job to understand the nuances of the county budget. It’s the commissioners’ job. I expect the county to parse this complicated issue and come back with a clear and transparent explanation for why they withdrew their support for our schools. When instead they point the blame elsewhere — namely, right back at the schools — it’s frustrating and demoralizing and truly makes me believe that they are 100 percent behind our schools in name only.

If the county has $1.6 million, I respectfully ask the commissioners to give it. Our schools have been making remarkable strides on a shoestring for far too long. If the $1.6 million is simply not available, I ask the commissioners to give their constituents the respect they deserve and not try to pass the buck.

We are lucky to have dedicated, hard-working, passionate teachers and administrators who have been getting by with little support and so few resources. Imagine the kind of schools we might have if they truly had the county’s support.

Ensuring the highest possible quality for our schools is not just in the best interests of those of us with kids in the system, but of every citizen who wants to live in a better, more transparent, more economically robust Kent County.

Behr writes from Chestertown.