The state is not only raiding the county’s coffers to make ends meet, but public school coffers as well.
At Tuesday night’s meeting, Dexter Lockamy, chief operating officer for Kent County Public Schools, explained to the commissioners why the Board of Education was requesting approval for budget transfers and re-allocations. Under Maryland law, the BOE must get all budget transfers and re-allocations approved by the commissioners.
A state education grant being used to help balance the school budget was reduced by $297,384 in January, Lockamy explained, “It was a mid-year hit, totally unexpected.”
To make up for the loss the Board of Education would like to transfer and re-allocate $90,000 in salary savings. Lockamy said the savings are a result of staff vacancies.
The BOE would also like permission to move $207,384 from the healthcare trust refund. Lockamy said the refund money was available because the cost of healthcare remained consistent since KCPS employees are members of a healthcare consortium giving them the ability to negotiate better insurance rates and deals. Claims were not as high as expected either, he said.
“I have no problem with you using the money because it’s Board of Education money, not county money,” said Commissioner Alex Rasin.
Even though the commissioners fund the education budget, the money being transfered to fill the void left by the removal of the state grant is coming from savings generated by KCPS employees. It is not coming from the county general fund.
The commissioners approved the transfers and re-allocations.
Mark & Doreen Schivley says
The savings that has been accumulated in the Heath Care Trust Fund Consortium for Kent County was the result of foresight planning and conservative decisions made by the representative of the teachers and education support staff as well as the representative of the administration on the ESMEC Board for the Kent County Public Schools. Mr. Lockamy and the county commissioners have no invested insight or financial contributions that created this surplus.
This surplus should remain as a rainy day fund for teachers, education support staff, and administration in the event that health care consortium costs increase just like the Kent County Commissioners have a rainy day fund for unexpected emergencies.
Mark and Doreen Schivley-Retired Kent County Teachers