I was born and raised on the lower Eastern Shore of Maryland, attending Worcester County public schools. Worcester County is rural and working class, with a median household income that is roughly half that of my current home of Howard County. More than half of Worcester County’s student population county-wide receives free and reduced-price meals.
Thirty years ago, Worcester County public schools had modest offerings. My high school offered only five AP classes. There was no orchestra, only band, and we didn’t start that until sixth grade. We offered only two foreign languages (French and Spanish), and only in high school. We had no math classes more advanced than AP calculus A/B and no computer science classes at all. Prom was in the school gym and commencement in the auditorium. Even today, I think it’s safe to assume that Worcester County schools don’t offer what Howard County’s do.
And yet, here are two statistics worth noting: One, none of Worcester County’s schools earned fewer than three stars on the 2023 Maryland Report Card, while three of Howard County’s schools earned only two stars. Two, despite its notable lack of affluence, Worcester County public schools spend more per pupil than Howard County public schools, even excluding federal funding.
I’m not someone who believes that more money spent necessarily equals better outcomes when it comes to education. But if Howard County, the wealthiest county in Maryland, is spending less per pupil than one of the state’s far less affluent counties, while boasting multiple 2-star schools in its portfolio, then I think it’s fair to say that we’re not funding our school system adequately.
Yet, the Howard County public school system is currently looking at program and staffing cuts and increases to class sizes in the next budget cycle in response to expected shortfalls. And while there are parents reacting with incandescent rage to proposals to cut programs such as third-grade orchestra and second-grade Gifted and Talented, educators are sounding the alarm – and rightfully so – on class size increases, a factor that has a significant impact on student outcomes, particularly at our 2-star schools.
My son attends one of Howard County’s 2-star schools. And it is from that perspective – and that of someone with my backwoods K-12 education – that I say this: if the seventh wealthiest county in the United States is spending time debating whether it’s a grave injustice that kids might have to start orchestra in fourth grade instead of third, while imposing increased class sizes on schools like my son’s that are already struggling, then we need to take a hard look at our priorities.
But what if we didn’t have to have this discussion in the first place?
A county with our resources and wealth should not be forcing its school system to make these kinds of difficult choices. A county that prioritizes education should not be making cuts to a school system that already isn’t meeting the bare minimum for all its students. A county of abundance should not be imposing policies of scarcity on its children.
A county with our resources and reputation for prioritizing public education should be looking at every possible option – from new sources of revenue to reallocation of current revenue – to ensure that our school system has funding worthy of a world-class public school system.
It is time for Howard County’s leadership to make the choice to fund our children’s future.