In a recent open meeting of the Board of Carroll County Commissioners, Commissioners, Richard Rothschild suggested thinking outside the box in an effort to reach a compromise in funding education.
At a commissioner-hosted education forum Monday night, approximately 700 people came out to weigh in on the topic of education funding in Carroll County.
Commissioners Richard Rothschild and Robin Frazier presented their position that education funding should not increase when student enrollment is declining. The two have advocated for funding Carroll County Public Schools at Maintenance of Effort (MOE), the minimum allowed by state law, in FY14.
In a Tuesday night board of commissioners meeting following Monday's education forum, Rothschild offered what he called creative ideas to help address the issue of funding education.
"In the course of discussion over the [education] budget this year and last year, people said that they don't mind paying more taxes," Rothschild said.
Rothschild was referring to individuals who said at Monday night's forum, and in other public meetings, that they would rather the county fund education than offer a tax cut in FY14.
Rothschild's first "out of the box" idea includes giving citizens the opportunity to waive a county tax cut or rebate. The Board of Commissioners has mentioned both a property tax decrease and a tax rebate as possible options for FY14.
"Why not create a tax break where citizens have the option of waiving it and assigning it to be earmarked 100 percent for education," Rothschild said.
According to Rothschild, approximately 50 percent of every dollar taxed by the county goes to education. If the tax waiver is offered and those waived tax dollars are earmarked for education, then 100 percent of the dollar goes to education Rothschild said.
"Even if only 50 percent of the people did that it would result in just as many dollars to education," Rothschild said.
Rothschild's second idea involves setting up a "fiscal sponsorship" for public education whereby county government would set up a fund and residents and businesses could contribute dollars that would be matched by the county.
Rothschild added a second, "smaller component" to this idea that included setting up a nonprofit to assist families whose children do not attend public schools.
"There would be a small amount of grant money available for the nonprofit to help out parents who have put kids in private, parochial or homeschool," Rothschild said.
Rothschild said he is looking for compromise to meet the demands of those who want education funded at a certain level as well as those who want taxes lowered.
"These two things [ideas] would be creative," Rothschild said. "They might not solve the problem but it puts us closer to having a prinicpal compromise among the Board of Commissioners and closer to having the solution that fulfills some of the request of the public school system."
There was no discussion of the ideas after Rothschild's brief presentation.
What do you think? Are these ideas worth consideration? Tell us in comments.
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This should in my opinion be the direction that public schools focus rather than the my way or the highway approach of spending and allocating funding...choice is a good thing that sparks creativity. Lack of creativity stifles educators at the administrative level.Curriculum is critical and lacking in Carroll schools.
I really do hope we three can have lunch together. And I'll spring for it....
she's probably pretty good at coordinating this kind of thing. I'm in.
BTW, I'm pretty sure one can ask for an out-of-district placement within the county and as long as the school has room, they will grant it. So, one can choose within the school system.
I'm not sure what you mean by why we don't practice this for higher education? Do you mean why we don't have the same type of public school system for colleges? As in, school districts, everyone can attend, based on where one lives? I would say because college is for adults, college is a choice, not everyone is suited for college, and those that wish to attend may want to specialize in different areas of expertise and/or experience life away from home. Our country mandates public education to be provided for all. So this is the system we have. One can either choose to attend for free, or pick a private option. I'm not sure what's so difficult about that to understand. Again, we don't give people money to choose the non-public option in other areas.
new residents and business. If we don't give people money to choose the non-public option than we simply should not take the money from those people to support a system they do not want, approve of or find appropriate for their child. The people that adore this system, like you, can go ahead and support it.
JoAnn and Buck, BOB EVANS IN Westminster Tues or Thursday at noon?
Johndwitiak@gmail.com. Incidentally, my wife and I have resided in Carroll County for over thirty years. Our kids attended and graduated from Carroll County Public Schools. I will vote for those who will work to continue to ensure that CCPS will continue to be among the top public school systems in Maryland and across our good ol' US OF A. I WILL NOT vote for R. Rothschild in 2014 OR EVER! This man and R. Frazier are hell-bent on destroying what our public school system's boards of education and its professional, certified educators have worked so hard and long and passionately to achieve.
Buck and I are having lunch on Tuesday at 12 noon. I do hope you and Kim can join us. I'm looking forward to a great time sitting down with other citizens who are concerned about the future of education in Carroll County. Email me and let me know if that time suits you, too. John