001Good evening. Mrs. Chairwoman Jane Licter, I call to order the Board of Education of Baltimore County public hearing for Tuesday, January 20th, 2026 on the superintendent's proposed FY2027 operating budget. This evening's board of education meeting can be viewed through the BCPS live meeting broadcast in Oxfinity C Comcast channel 1073 and Verizon Fios channel 34. The registration form for the public hearing was available to the public online and closed at 3 p.m. yesterday for anyone wishing to speak at this evening's hearing. Speakers names will be called in the order of registration and then the wait list. While we encourage public input on the proposed FY2027 operating budget this evening, this is not the proper forum to address specific student or employee matters or to comment on matters that do not relate to the operating budget. I
002remind everyone that inappropriate personal remarks or other behavior that disrupts or interferes with the conduct of this meeting are out of order. Each speaker will be given three minutes to speak on the superintendent's proposed FY27 operating budget. This public hearing is not the form to speak on any other topics. I ask speakers to observe the threeminut limit and conclude remarks when time has expired and you hear the tone. I will call the first speaker to come forward to the table and I will also call the next speaker on the list to come forward to be on deck. Okay. [cough] Yeah. Also um while we are some of us are in person there are also board members who are virtual this evening and that is um Dr. Seavoy and Miss Hen and Miss Fang. So I'd
003like to thank them for um being here. Also, our first speaker this evening is Christina Lawson. So, you can come forward and then also um Lloyd Allen may come forward too so that we can be prepared. You may be first though, Miss Lawson. Okay. So, um our um Miss Basillo, you may also come forward because you will be after Mr. Allen. Good evening, Mr. Allen. >> Good evening, Chair Licter, Superintendent Rogers, and members of the board. Thank you for your time. I'm Lloyd Allen, he him, vice president of Tabco, speaking on behalf of the association with the permission of Presidents. We acknowledge and appreciate that the budget presented last week includes funding for the third year of our bilateral wage agreement. BCPS and Tabco agreed to a three-year contract so we could all focus our
004efforts on initiatives that advance students, educators, and schools away from the bargaining table. Speaking of those efforts, Tabco must put this front and center. As President Old said last week, these cuts are too deep. Many Tabco unit educators are already demoralized, overworked, and underresourced. We are already often working the jobs of missing colleagues, the result of abolished positions from previous budgets and those who have given up and left our system during this school year. There is no world where removing 594 adults from our school system improves student outcomes and the better futures for our students that those improved outcomes would lead to. Put another way, these cuts will harm the students we are here to serve. We are concerned they will be detrimental to the gains our educators have helped win with our students. We
005must work together to curb their scope, size, and impact. And to do that, we also call for additional transparency around these cuts. There is no way to have a public discussion around the impacts of these cuts versus the necessary sacrifice that increased education spending calls for without details around which positions are at risk. But we have yet to see the list of all school-based reductions currently slated for abolishment. If there is a plan, let's see it now in full detail and let's have a public discussion about it. I repeat here, as my president said, the work now is to reduce the size and impacts of these cuts. Tabco is already in discussion with county leaders asking for additional local funding. Every million dollars of additional funding saves many positions. We will work to stop these
006overly aggressive and dangerous cuts one position at a time, $1 million at a time, one program at a time, however, we must do it. Dr. Rogers talked about the loss of over 2,000 students from our system. Tabco shares your concern about reduced enrollment and firmly believes that we must maintain staff resources in our schools to continue to make Baltimore County public schools the best place to educate children in this county. But when we make large staff reductions like those proposed, we reduce our draw to students and families, leading to further loss of students. This is the spiral we seek to stop right here, right now. Thank you. >> Thank you. Thank you. Our next speaker is Ramona Basillo, followed by Simone Vlecus. >> Good evening. I'm here as a a stakeholder and a member of
007the PTA council. Um, good evening, Dr. Rogers, members of the board, and fellow stakeholders. Uh, I'm not going to sit here and propose to tell you what's best for the budget. You all live with it. You know it. For the past three years, we've all lived with it. What I'm here to say is recently I read an article in the Baltimore Sun. The individual said education is a special interest. It raised some alarm for me because education is not a special interest. It is a moral imperative. It's a legal imperative. It is a safety imperative. And I'm believing that wise men and women will prevail and we will work through this. In the 80s there were painful cuts, furlows. We could knock on the door in Washington DC, get funding support. Now we're knocking on
008the door and no one is there. Education is in jeopardy. What I'm calling upon people to do is gather your best thinking, your most collaborative nature, come together and work through this budget year so that our students won't suffer. Thank you. >> Thank you. Our next speaker is Simone. Can you say your last name for me? >> And followed by Mr. Good evening, Dr. Rogers and members of the board. Thank you for the opportunity to speak tonight. I am here because I care deeply about our students, educators, and the future of Baltimore County Public Schools. The decisions made in this room directly shape what happens in the classroom every day. I would like to address a few concerns I have with the proposed budget. The new budget would increase class sizes. Class sizes have already
009gotten to the 30 plus level in elementary schools and secondary schools. I firmly believe this is a reason students leave BCPS. When teachers have fewer students, they can grade papers and provide more directed feedback to help them learn and grow. They can also have better control of the classroom and not be as drained by the end of the school day. With smaller class sizes, teachers can identify learning gaps earlier and build stronger relationships. We continue to lay off educators and expect stability and excellence in our schools. Teacher retention matters. Every layoff or accessing of positions disrupts student learning, school culture, and trust within the community. BCPS prides itself on preparing the graduates to be college and career ready. On Friday, I visited a local university with my son and the tour took us to the
010library where they explained they have a librarian that specializes in every major. If li librarians are taken out of the library in the secondary level, how do we expect the graduating students to even understand how to use this resource? Their last contact would have been in the fifth grade. Every year, BCPS tells stakeholders they need to make cuts or that there's going to be cuts in the budget. These cuts always seem to happen on the ground level to the teachers, admin, and the people who are in direct contact with the students. It happens every year. I feel like every year there's fewer students enrolled in BCPS and the school system still gets a per student stipen whether the students attend public school or not. My taxes go up every year as well and that money
011gets funneled into the school system. How do we meet? How do we need to make cuts if there's an excess money and fewer students to teach? I recommend making cuts in security detail, drivers, and central office staff. I do not make recommend making cuts at the teachers, admin, janitorial, coaches, clubs, or anything that has direct contact with the students. Decisions on the budgets should prioritize students and educators who work with them daily. >> Thank you. You have to run. But thank you. Our next speaker is Mr. Vicas, followed by April Green. >> Good evening. [clears throat] Um hello, Superintendent Rogers and uh members of the board of education. Uh thank you for providing the opportunity for community engagement via these public sessions. I I really appreciate that this occurs. Um, every year BCPS seems to
012ask for more and more money from the county um, in the and the state in the budget. And yet I I do find that the quality of education our school seems to stagnate at best. Um, in particular, I want to focus on one of the most distressing things I've seen is this willingness to allow class sizes to be larger and larger over time. Uh, last year we saw class sizes increase under that budget um, which led to some reduced teacher allocations at schools throughout the county. Um, I'm dis disappointed to see not only is that not being reversed this year, but actually is being increased again so that the plan is now to allow the average of 25 to1 students across virtually all grades throughout elementary, middle, and high schools, which I I find distressing.
013[snorts] Um, first of all, the announcement of this ratio is intentionally kind of vague. Using an average allows for numerous classes to be much larger than 25 students per class. Um in fact many teachers in our schools note that all their cla that all their classes are above 25 and some even have all their classes above 30 students per class. Um using an average allows the doctoring the numbers such that smaller breakout sessions like special ed reading or math specialists IEPs and such that have personalized instruction are averaged in skewing the overall mean. Furthermore, all teachers tend to be included in this ratio. So that includes some that do not have dedicated um or have limited classroom time um which again skews the numbers. Um it would be illustrative if BCPS provides us with median
014class sizes and just how many different you know how many uh classes of different sizes we have across the board. That would be meaningful indications just how large the classes actually are in our schools. In other words, what this the teachers are experiencing in the classrooms themselves. Um, there's real studies and data out there that shows that we need classes that are the right size, large enough for collaboration, exchange of ideas, small enough for personal attention to every student. And I've seen that number typically is in the 18 to 24 student range for secondary ed and even smaller for elementary. If half our classes are 24 or above, that'll be far too many. Um, and there's just too large for effective teaching and that's just not equitable to our for our students. There's almost no
015justification of having an average class size of 25 across BCS except for, you know, trying to save money. Just a complete a little separate point I wanted to say is also in terms of the budget I'd like to see over the independent oversight of the BCS budget via the office of the inspector general. I know that this has been proposals for this to be codified but it's not a formal requirement right now. I hope that I would love to see both the board of ed and superintendent's office consider their position on this and would actually encourage having outside auditing which can help to have better engagement um and allow for improved allocation of resources and decreased um uh waste and bloat. Um I think that's transparency that the bulk of the community would like to
016see. So thank you for your attention matters. >> Thank you. Our next speaker is April Green. Okay, our next speaker is Leslie Weber who is um online. Um followed by Christy Regalano. Miss Weber. >> Hello. Can >> Oops. Um you started but then you cut out. >> Hello. Yes, now we can hear you. >> Can you hear me? >> Yes. >> Hi, it's Lesie Weber. Thank you. Good evening. I'm Lesley Weber, president of the PTA Council of Baltimore County. PTA Council recognizes the challenging fiscal landscape facing our school system due to funding decreases at all levels of government, and due to the increasing needs of our students and families. BCPS serves a growing number of students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, multilingual learners, and special education students, all of whom need extra supports. The council al
017also recognizes how difficult it is for a very large school system to negotiate many competing needs and interests. We appreciate the time and in and effort devoted to identifying how to reduce spending without sacrificing the gains the system has made over the past two fiscal years. PTA Council is pleased that BCPS is prioritizing the recruitment and retention of the BCPS workforce through compensation enhancements. We know it's a hard thing to do, but we hope that class sizes, especially at the elementary school level, remain as small as practical. We agree that investments in special education are critical. So, we're pleased to see that hiring additional special education teachers and par educators is included in the proposed FY2027 operating budget. We're also pleased to see a continued commitment to multilingual learner resources. Continued expansion of full day
018prek seats is to be commended since research shows that this helps ensure that all children are ready to learn. PTA council appreciates the proposed budgets budgets continued focus on safety and climate. This is in line with our partnership with BCPS to advocate for responsible cell phone use. We've also supported having safety assistance in our schools and are glad that these important positions are being prioritized. PTA Council is pleased that BCPS remains committed to the community school strategy and providing wraparound services to support children and families. For years, PTA Council advocated strongly for community schools, including when the school system was focused solely on education technology. We continue this advocacy as members of the Baltimore County Education Justice Table in partnership with TAPCO and other stakeholders. We believe now as we did back then that wraparound
019services create stability for students and their families and that this stability leads to better academic, social, emotional and health outcomes. [music] Thank you. >> Thank you. Our next speaker is Christy Regalano >> and our following speaker is Glenn Gilhar. >> Good evening members of the board. Thank you for the opportunity to speak about the critical need to maintain full-time library and media specialists in our secondary schools. As the Center for American Progress states in their 2024 report, more than 50 years of research across more than 60 studies show that students with access to well-resourced school libraries with certified librarians consistently perform better academically and score higher on standardized assessments. These gains are especially significant for students who are historically underserved, students of color, students with disabilities, and students from lower lower income backgrounds. The impact
020extends beyond students. Full-time library media specialists serve as instructional partners for teachers, collaborating on curriculum design, co-eing research projects, integrating technology, and incorporating inquiry based learning across all content areas. When the media specialist is available full-time in the library, teachers gain a highly skilled colleague who increases instructional capacity across the entire building. Pillar three of the blueprint for Maryland's future future state specifies that students must have access to project projectbased learning. As we start the third quarter of the year, I have already completed over 150 collaborative lessons where I have taught or co-taught. I have worked side by side with teachers from every department at my school to deliver project-based learning. These sessions specifically targeted advanced research techniques, ethical AI use, and digital media creation, ensuring students are meeting the rigorous standards of the blueprint.
021From a budget perspective, this role is a high lever investment. At Franklin High School, I support over 1500 students and a faculty and staff of over 100. Librarians maximize BCPS investments by ensuring that the specialized digital resources the county pays for are utilized effectively. However, when librarians are assigned as teachers of record for courses outside of the library, we lose these benefits. Last year, due to staffing, I taught two college and career readiness courses. My time to collaborate with my colleagues was cut by over 30%. Requiring librarians to teach outside of their content area may appear to solve short-term staffing or budgeting challenges, but it ultimately diminishes the return on the investment and weaken student learning. Ensuring the library media specialists remain full-time is a fiscally responsible decision that aligns the resources of BCPS with
022student outcomes. It strengthens instruction, supports equity, and prepares students with the information literacy skills they need for college careers and responsible citizenship. I respectfully urge the board to prioritize full-time library media specialists in our secondary schools as an investment in both academic excellence and sound stewardship of district resources. Thank you for your time and consideration. >> Thank you. Our next speaker is Glenn Gellhar followed by Yahoo Blackwell. >> Uh good evening um uh Chairwoman Lter and uh Dr. Miriam Rogers, superintendent. Thank you also to the board members uh for your service. I really appreciate your dedication to our school system. Uh in interest of full disclosure to tell you a little bit about myself. Uh I am a candidate currently for the Maryland House of Delegates in District 8. So I thought you should know
023that um I'm a parent of five children who all graduated from um Baltimore County Schools. Well, they attended Baltimore County schools. three at Lanstown High School and two at Parkville High School. As a matter of fact, I'm a Parkville High School student graduate myself. Um so earlier tonight we heard from a speaker regarding the budget and budget priorities and one of the the uh speakers had said that they thought that you should cut security and I think that is a huge mistake um because you know the security of our students is you know should be one of our number one concerns especially when we hear about violence and all across the country. So that so I wanted to also say that as far as the security goes, please, you know, we need more, not less.
024U I'm also very concerned uh about a letter that was recently uh published from Tabco, speaking of security, um regarding uh shielding or obstructing uh cooperation with federal immigration officials. These are federal agents, federal uh law enforcement uh officials, and I think that's a mistake. I think it undermines their students safety. Um, also in this letter for Tabco, who is a union, and I always thought that the unions were supposed to speak on behalf of protecting their employees. So, they're supposed to be representing the teachers, and the teachers are paying union dues, paying the salaries for Tabco. And it says here on their letter that they want to hold staff accountable for policy violations. So it sounds like they want to have some teachers fired. So, you know, really is that their role? So, in
025conclusion, I do want to say that student safety should be a priority. I do want to share with you a uh a story from u from another parent that's very near and dear to me. Uh her name is Tabby Nobles. Her daughter is Kayla Hamilton and her daughter was murdered in Aberdine by an MS-13 gang member. The person at the time on during the investigation who was alleged to killed her daughter while that investigation was going was put under the um purview of uh child protective services and they enrolled that student in Landown High School, a student that my children had long before since graduated. But, you know, just this the obstructing of information from the principal, the staff, the superintendent, I think it's a mistake. I think it endangers our students and I think
026it's on the wrong path. So, please again improve security. >> Thank you. Our next speaker is Yahoo Blackwell, followed by Amy Adams. >> Good evening. Good evening. Um, it's my first time here, so uh, my apologies. Uh, what a pleasure to meet you, Dr. Miriam Rogers and the board and the staff. Um, what I would like to see happen with the budget is, um, I would like to see our public high schools transformed into trade schools. I think that the budget should move towards that direction. I've seen every reality there is to see in the state of Maryland. I've been up, I've been down. I've had wins, I've had losses. And one thing I've learned is that when children can't correlate school to money, it develops a disinterest in school. So, I feel as though
027that we should add trades back into the high school curriculum. I also feel like we should add driving school or drive ed back into the high school curriculum. I feel like we should be allocating funds towards [clears throat] adding credit development. um first-time home ownership, civics, uh business startup. I believe if we was allocating funds in that direction, children would be more excited about attending classes. Um I own a business in in the state of Maryland and the kids there can't count money. So when my employee when my employees are giving out change, they don't know the difference between a quarter and a dime. That's how bad it is. So, I think that we need to add financial literacy back into the high school curriculum. I think that children should be graduating with a skill
028set that will gain and earn them an income. And I believe that high school is not preparing uh our constituents for real life. And I and I believe that's why our school systems are failing. So, um that's what I would like to add to this meeting. Um, you know, I've I've been an entrepreneur, you know, I've been an employee. I've seen both sides. And, um, growing up, you know, I just wish I had those skills. I feel like it shouldn't have took me 40 years to figure this stuff out. I feel like I should have known it coming out of high school. So, um, that's what I think we should, you know, start allocating funds to and changing, you know, changing the school system and, you know, moving it in that direction. Um, so, by
029the way, I'm Yahoo Blackwell. I I am the uh I am a candidate for state senate legislative 8 and um, education is my baby. I feel like if we fix education, we'll fix the entire state of Maryland. So um I think our era is pretty much cooked but the next generation coming forward if we change um education and move it in that that that direction that um it will fix the next generations coming down the line. Thank you. >> Thank you. Our next speaker is Amy Adams. Oops. And followed by um Sarah Valentine who I believe is on virtually. Yes. Good evening. >> Good evening. Good evening to the board members here. I am here on behalf of the Baltimore County Parent and Student Coalition. After reviewing the presentations of the superintendent's budget, we have
030some questions and some concerns. Over 80% of the budget goes to salaries and wages reflecting the commitment to the three-year agreement. While past negotiations cannot be changed, we urge that f future negotiators to ensure promises are backed by identified funding sources. Although we do not oppose to utilizing the fund balance, we question if relying on this resource to cover reoccurring expenses such as salaries is a sound practice. What happens next year to fund salaries and wages? And will the balance be replenished? Although cost cutting measures have been discussed, stakeholders strongly oppose increasing class sizes to support academic achievement, keep experienced teachers, and for transparency, the staffing formula should be revised to accurately reflect only teaching staff in the ratio. efforts should efforts should prioritize maintaining or lowering class sizes. Additionally, please clarify how many of
031the 594 proposed positions are currently vacant so it's clear which active roles will be impacted. Cuts in positions of elementary reading specialists and IEP [clears throat] facilitators were made this past year and now there's a proposed reduction of secondary reading positions. Is there evidence in the academic data to justify this decision? It's challenging to understand how declining enrollment can occur simultaneously with rising class sizes. Is there a contingency plan if the governor denies another year of hold harmless and losing the 2,000 students results in a $14 million budget shortfall? We would like the board to ask for further clarification on the superintendent's statement and I quote, "Year three is going to be critical. We are either going to solidify the fact that BCPS has indeed reversed the trajectory or we're going to go back in
032the wrong direction. Under the superintendent's leadership by year three, shouldn't there be a solid culture in place, clear expectations, well-trained staff, and ongoing academic progress? Why then does she suggest during her budget presentation that progress might stall or even regress in her third year? Why are school psychologists, librarians, speech language pathologists, and other professionals reporting position cuts that affect student services? If BCPS cannot find better funding practices, the county government should conduct an external financial audit to ensure accuracy and transparency in finances, reassure taxpayers, and increase accountability. We will be watching to see what type of detailed questions each board member asks about this budget, the answers provided by staff, and how board members cast their vote. This is your most important duty. We do expect you to open your budget book, dig in and
033do the work. We do not want to reelect rubber stampers, but rather informed and engaged representatives who want to advance BCPS and improve outcomes for all students. The kids are counting on you. Thank you. >> Thank you. Our next speaker is Sarah Valentine. >> Good evening. My name is Sarah Valentine and I'm speaking tonight as a BCPS alum and parent of two current students because our children cannot afford our selines. Not now, not when their learning conditions are hanging in the balance. The proposed fiscal year 27 budget eliminates 324.8 FTEEs due specifically to changes in teacher staffing ratios, yet provides no clear itemized list of which full-time school-based positions are actually being cut. If these cuts are truly justified, why aren't we being told exactly who will be affected? A budget that reshapes classrooms and
034staffing levels without naming the positions on the chopping block isn't transparency. It's a mission. And it forces families and educators to brace for consequences they aren't even allowed to see coming. Superintendent Rogers has repeatedly assured this community that no school-based layoffs will occur. Yet, at the same time, average class sizes are set to rise to 25 students in grades 1 through 12. But let's be honest, they're already well above that. Educators have been waving red flags for years, warning that classrooms are overcrowded, overwhelmed, and stretch beyond what's reasonable. Raising the official target doesn't solve the problem. It only exacerbates it. And while classrooms are bursting, BCPS continues to consistently lose students. Families are already walking away. What do you think happens next? When class sizes grow even larger? When individualized attention becomes impossible? When even
035the best teachers finally say, "I can't do this anymore?" This budget doesn't fix anything. It shifts the burden onto children and educators while relying on a one-time $50 million fund balance, something the district itself admits is not sustainable. For some members of the board, these concerns will predictably fall on deaf ears. those who have repeatedly shown that their role is not oversight but obedience. Transparency for them appears optional, demonstrated by votes against support of an independent inspector general audit votes to dismantle the budget committee and the blatant abuse of authority used to censure a colleague for simply scrutinizing last year's budget. That record speaks for itself. But for those of you who still understand your obligation is to the students, not to convenience, not to optics, and not to administrative comfort, I urge you to
036reject any formula changes that increase class sizes. Go back, recalculate, audit, renegotiate contracts, find the waste, fight for the funding. Do whatever it takes. Just don't choose the easiest and most harmful path, putting the burden on children. They deserve smaller class sizes. They deserve attention. They deserve adults who will fight for them. Tonight I'm asking you to prove that you are in fact those adults. Thank you. >> Thank you. Our next speaker is Erikica Ma followed by Nicole Schroeder. >> Good evening. Good evening. Thank you so much for having these public sessions on the budget. My name is Erikica Ma. I'm an English language development teacher at Lanson Elementary. I'm here to ask you to not increase class size. There are tons of studies that say smaller class sizes positively affect student academic outcomes. I've
037seen these studies, but I've also lived the experience of what and I and my fellow teachers can do with smaller class sizes and case loads. Before 2022, there were few increases in the number of English language development teachers. Within two years, thanks to our county government under Johnny Ovsky, we received funding to increase our EDL teaching staff by 44 and then the next year by 36 teachers. This helped move ELD students from middle and high school centers back to their home schools, but it also lowered the case loads at the elementary school level. Before this, I had case loads as high as 90 students in one year. I wasn't the only one. It was the norm for us to have 70 to 90 students per elementary school ELD teacher. Since that increase in teaching staff,
038my case load has been around 50 for the past two years. This is still not the 30 to35 recommended by Tissaw, the International Professional Association that represents us, but it is incredible to be able to have the time to plan and teach all of my students nearly twice as much as I can could before. I'm not the only ALD teacher to be able to teach more effectively with a smaller case load. As reported by BCPS earlier in the year, in the past two years, the BCPS rate of improvement for EL proficiency was higher than the state percentage. 71.6% 6% of our ELD students increased their proficiency from the previous year. Elementary school students increased by 83.7. Last year, my own school doubled the number of students who exited the ELD program by achieving a 4.5
039or over on the annual WEDA proficiency test. This kind of result can go for every classroom teacher, every special educator, every resource teacher. There's no good that can come be done by increasing class size and case loads. None. Staff conversation and benefits are over 80% of the budget as well as should be as we are the ones who are day in day out face tof face with the students. We not only teach them phonics, reading, math, and critical thinking, but we give them band-aids and tissues, make relationships over lunch bunches, reassure them when they are scared or sick, celebrate with them on special occasions, cheer them on when they are successful, support them when they face challenges. We other nurses, the speech and language therapists, the physical and occupational therapists, school counselors, bus drivers, librarians,
040music and art teachers, secretaries, behavior coaches, additional assistants, pair educators, classroom teachers, special educators, and ELD and resource teachers. We are the front line, and we need more of us, not fewer. Last year, we fought for our three-year compensation package to be honored and money was found. You saw how passionate we were about that. We're even more passionate about our students and our ability to teach them. Please fund what the students need. Teachers who have not only the heart but the time to love and teach them. Thank you. >> Oops. Thank you. Our next speaker is Nicole Schroeder, followed by Mr. Perez. >> Hi, my name is Nicole Schroeder. Thank you for the opportunity to speak tonight. Um, I am running for the register will for Baltimore County and I have been a parent in
041the county for 22 years. I am beyond disappointed. Um the budget in my opinion should focus on the children's education and safety of the children. The school system has failed our children, parents, staff miserably. Trying to get assistance when there is a serious matter has been impossible. From threats to students by teachers, from lies to the administrations to the parents to the disgraceful lunches being served in certain schools but not others or bullying that has no repercussions and the absolute lack of education being delivered to our children. The test scores are beyond embarrassing. I'm wondering if these serious issues can't be dealt with by the board or the schools, then who else is responsible for correcting them? The school system gets more than half the county budget, but you have stated that each student is
042estimated to cost a little more than 23,000 per year, but yet the test scores shows that there is not a whole lot of learning going on. So, what exactly is the budget for if not for the education? Schools are charging parents $50 or more for their children to go on certain field trips. Why is this not included in the budget? Parents these days don't have this kind of money to spend for a field trip where there is also no learning, just walking around a city looking at statues. What about the field trips where the bus driver had clearly been smoking on the bus? Who paid for that trip? Children should not be exposed to cigarette smoke on a school field trip, no matter if it is a county bus or a private bus. There has
043been absolute disregard for the safety and education of our children, and this needs to end here. I am also disgusted to learn that illegal immigrants do not have to supply documentation to enroll in a county school. If certain children do not need to provide documentation, then no one should provide documentation. Kayla Hamilton was brutally killed and raped by an MS-13 gang member who was enrolled in two Maryland schools. Had those schools required appropriate documentation, she would still be alive today. If it is okay for us to allow rapists and murders in our school, then why not hire the pedophiles to sweep the floor so that they can pick up their victims, too? The line needs to be drawn. You are going to allow killer, then you set the tone that anything goes. And that's exactly
044what is happening in our schools. Why have SRO there if you're allowing rapists and murders in the schools? Yes. >> Do you have suggestions for the budget? >> That this is including the budget. In the beginning, did I state that the county or the budget is important to the children's safety and their education? Correct. >> Okay. Thank you. So, this is safety actually. Right. So, um now you used up some of my time, so I'm just going to keep on going. Right. So, why have SRO there if you're allowing rapists and murderers in the school? Seems a little redundant. Teachers threatening to throw children on the ground. Teachers taking pills in a classroom. as she tells the child that she's going to medicate herself so they are safe. Principles lying to parents to protect staff
045members. Children being punished for trying to alert an adult of a student having an allergic reaction in a lunchroom. And I'm sorry, but this school board should be ashamed. And honestly, if I were any of you, I would quit. You have no business being in a position to do anything if if you can't do anything. The board as the board, you are failing miserably. I have prayed to God that he does what is needed to protect these babies because it is clear not one of you care to do anything about these very serious issues. I hope after tonight you hold a meeting to take accountability to fix the county with all the money you Thank you. Our next speaker virtually is Edwin Perez. >> Good evening, Superintendent Rogers, Chair Licter, members of the board and
046community members. My name is Edwin Perez and I'm here today as a concerned community member with deep deep respect for the math you are navigating. Facing a 62.1 million reduction is a monumental task. However, a budget is more than a balance sheet is a statement of our values and a blueprint for our children's legacy to ensure that the heart of our schools remains intact. I'm presenting three key requests for the fiscal year 2027 budget. First, a rejection of the 25 to1 studenttoteer ratio. A classroom is not a factory. It is a community. We must consider that every time we add a desk to a room, we subtract a minute of individualized attention from a child, especially from those who might be struggling or battling personal concerns. We cannot talk about academic achievement while simultaneously diluting
047the human connection that makes learning possible. I asked the board to seek further funding options, especially for our most vulnerable learners. Second, a reevaluation of the 600 person reduction six 600 position reduction. While these cuts may happen through attrition, the workload does not vanish with the person. When roles disappear, our remaining educators, staff, and counselors become the everything for our students. This creates a support vacuum that leads directly to burnout. We must protect a healthy ecosystem for our educators and staff. A raise is a lifeline, but is not a substitute for a manageable workload and a safe school environment. Third, a guaranteed and recurring fund for healthy school environments. Our buildings are the vessels in which the future of Baltimore County is formed. A child cannot learn and a teacher not inspire inspire in a
048building that is too hot, too cold or neglected. Ensuring our facilities are clean and healthy is more about maintenance. It is about the dignity of our students and the respect we show our educators and staff. Education is at its core a human endeavor. Behind every data point in this budget is a teacher who changed a life, a staff member who provided support, a counselor who prevented a crisis, and a student waiting for us to prove that their future is worth the investment. The fiscal cliff is real, but so is the potential of our children. Let us work together as a unified community of students, educators, families, community members, and board members to ensure our legacy is one of investment, not just reduction. For their sake, and for ours, we must protect the heart of our
049schools. Thank you for your time and consideration. >> Thank you. Our next speaker is Sharon Sirhoff, followed by Chris Coker. Good evening. >> Good evening. You know me as a staunch advocate for special education. Increasing class size to at least 25 students per classroom says that you are not a staunch advocate for special education. The law says that special educa that special education starts in the least restrictive environment. We interpret that as the general education classroom. If I have 25 to 27 students in my classroom, there is no way that I am going to be able to fulfill what is on that IEP. And I can tell you this truthfully because I've taught classroom sizes of that nature in many school systems. Last week I said that there should never be 27 students in a
050kindergarten classroom. The more students you put in a classroom, the less the teacher is able to manage that classroom. that impacts safety and security. So, not only are my kids not learning, they're also not safe. They're also not secure. I urge Dr. Rogers to rethink the fact that our class size is already too large for our students to learn properly. We talk about our accolades of having five-star schools. I can tell you that I come from a state that taught science every single day. The state of Maryland does not do that. So, we should not be talking about accolades of five-star schools. We should be looking at how we can make our education better in the Baltimore County schools. And one of those ways is to lower class size and not to cut teachers who
051are already overburdened, not to cut reading specialists who taught people like myself to learn to read. Speaking as dyslexic person, I think I know better than anybody else how important a reading specialist is. Library media specialists should not be cut, especially on the secondary level when you're learning to do research. That makes you ready for college or a trade. We should not be in the business of cutting if we want to improve education. Thank you. >> Thank you. Our next speaker is Chris Coker. >> Good evening. Uh, thank you for providing me the opportunity to address the board of education. Uh, my name is Chris Coker and I've been a Baltimore County resident for over 13 years and a lifelong Marylander. I currently have two children uh, enrolled in BCPS at both the elementary and
052middle school levels. Uh, I have actually nothing but praise for the teachers my children have had, and I'm deeply worried that this reservoir of talent and experience will continue to dwindle as veteran teachers are becoming more and more rare. I'm concerned that so many newer teachers are leaving BCPS to look for other teaching opportunities in other counties or leaving the profession altogether. And just the last couple of years, both of my children have had teachers leave midyear, choosing to pursue another career. And this has provided an incredibly or this has proved incredibly disruptive to their education. And we're still actually trying to recover from that impact. I'm fearful that this trend will continue given the states of the county's annual school budget and how that budget is falling support on supporting the single most important
053element of education, teachers. Quality teachers are the core of any educational system. New technology materials are great, but without a qualified, enthusiastic teachers to implement them, they're ineffective and wasteful. Uh it's my understanding that this year's proposed budget seeks to preserve the contractual compensation for educators. However, other cost-saving measures have are reported to result and have been characterized as modest increases in class sizes. I find this alarming as several of my middle schoolers core classes already have 35 or more students. In this uh this in turn only adds to the educator workload and creates a classroom environment that is unmanageable for even the best teachers. This is not an educational environment that serves students. The school board should be requesting the budget that they need to properly fund our schools and not succumb to pressure
054from local government uh to underfund the system. Last year's budget process resulted in BCPS going back on the contracted salary increases. Uh the school system is broke its promise. All this serves to do is frustrate and demoralize teachers who are currently working so hard every day [snorts] to educate my children. Even this year's proposed budget uh even if this year's proposed budget uh preserves negotiated salaries, it appears to do so at the cross cost of increased workload. In short, advocating for for and allocating funds uh to properly pay teachers without increasing their workload and adding additional barriers to student learning should be the highest priority of this school board. Thank you very much. >> Thank you. There were two speakers who weren't here when I called their names. I just want to make sure they
055haven't come in. That's Christina Lawson um and April Green. Either of those people. Okay, then that um is the end of our speakers who have signed up. Um thank you to everyone who has spoken to us tonight. Oh, my second. Um so this concludes our public hearing of the FY27 operating budget. Um, if you were not able to speak here tonight, comments can still be sent to us at boebcps.org. We've been getting many um, emails and we are reading all of those. Members of the public may also register to speak during public comment at our January 27th meeting, which is this coming Tuesday, a week from today. Information is available on our participation by the public page. We thank you for joining us tonight and this hearing is now adjourned. Thank you.