Negotiators for the Board and TAAAC met for the fourth time on December 5th to continue discussions primarily on topics related to compensation. While progress is being made, there is little chance of having a settlement by the end of calendar year 2012. There is no news to report on any non-economic topics because they have all been put on hold in order to concentrate on compensation items in time to impact the Board’s budget before it goes to the County Executive in late February.
The negotiating teams are scheduled to meet for a fifth session on Thursday, December 13th.
MAINTENANCE EFFORTS
The numbers are in. In order to comply with state law, Anne Arundel County will need to pass over to the Board a net $8.8 million after covering about $3.1 million in retirement expenses that are in the process of being passed down from the state onto the local education agencies. In light of comments made by council members Fink and Grasso during the October meetings, it is unlikely that students and teachers will see a penny more than what is lawfully required.
EDUCATION BUDGET
In its next regularly scheduled meeting, December 19th, the Anne Arundel Board of Education will hear Dr. Maxwell’s proposed Fiscal Year 2014 Budget. In the absence of a settlement on compensation for employees it is likely that there will be a “placeholder” of some amount in the operating budget. Whatever that amount might be, it will give us a glance at his priorities. Interested educators should plan on attending. In the alternative to being there, the meetings can be viewed on television at Comcast and Broadstripe Channel 96, and Verizon Channel 36. The dates, times, and locations of this meeting and other significant budget events are below.
Superintendent’s Budget Presentation, Wednesday, December 19, 7:00PM, Central Office Boardroom
Public Budget Hearing, Tuesday, January 8, 7:00PM, Old Mill High School Auditorium
Public Budget Hearing, Thursday, January 10, 7:00PM, Central Office Boardroom
Board Budget Recommendation, Wednesday, February 20, Central Office Boardroom
PRINCIPAL AND TEACHER EVALUCATION AND RATING
The deadline of December 26th is closing in on local education agencies who seek to implement their own version of principal and teacher evaluations that comply with the new regulations. Representatives from TAAAC and the AACPS have been working to find an agreeable alternative that is more reasonable than the state model yet still in compliance with the state regulations. Our next meeting is on December 12th.
More will follow as progress is made.
