FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACTS:
- Kristina Korona, [email protected], 410-224-3330
- Amanda Menas, [email protected]
TAAAC President Kristina Korona released the following statement regarding the announcement of the FY26 Anne Arundel County budget presented by County Executive Steuart Pittman:
“Today, our union celebrated May Day with walk-ins or other actions at 15 schools with nearly 500 educators as well as community supporters and elected officials. We took action to support our students and our public schools as well as more broadly our public employees, working families, and our entire community. By making a record increase in education spending while also funding efforts that will protect the most vulnerable amongst us, County Executive Pittman’s proposed budget aligns with our goals as well.
“While the Board of Education’s request for salary increases was not fully funded, we are glad that there is still a continued effort to raise educator salaries to ensure that AACPS is competitive enough with surrounding counties to be able to retain our dedicated staff. We understand that these are challenging and uncertain times. We appreciate that this budget sets aside $10 million to be prepared to backfill any lost federal funding that may arise in the next fiscal year, ensuring that the county can maintain services to those who need them most. When our students and their families face food insecurity and the prospect of homelessness, we are glad that this budget provides the funding to support them. Additionally, knowing that there are parents of some of our students who are under threat of deportation, it is critical that this budget invests in the Family Protection Initiative to support the children who may be left behind.
“In the upcoming days, we will be exploring the budget details to determine where we can continue to advocate to ensure that additional critically needed special education positions are included in the final budget as well as to find areas where we might advocate for additional compensation or other priorities that may not have already been included. While these are difficult budgetary times, our public education system–the cornerstone of our community and our democracy–must be sustained and even strengthened. The county must continue to make the investments to retain and support our educators, including our special educators, our social workers, our teaching assistants, our cafeteria workers, and our bus drivers. Each educator, regardless of their position, plays a critical role in supporting the diverse needs of our students, ensuring that every single student has a supportive learning environment and a high-quality education, regardless of their zip code. Investing in our educators is how we invest in our students.”
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