►
Description
The Calvert County Department of Finance & Budget is holding a public hearing to present and receive comments regarding the fiscal year 2024 Staff Recommended Operating and Capital Improvement Budget. The public hearing is being held in the Commissioners Hearing Room, located in the Calvert County Circuit Courthouse, Second Floor, at 175 Main St. in Prince Frederick.
For more information about this public hearing, visit: www.CalvertCountyMd.gov/PublicHearings.
A
A
C
Good
evening
Commissioners
and
welcome
staff
and
citizens,
I
am
Dawn
wood
budget
officer
for
Calvert
County
Government.
This
evening
staff
will
be
presenting
the
fiscal
year.
2024
also
referred
to
as
the
fy24
staff
recommended
budget
or
SRB,
which
is
the
first
budget
in
the
budget
process.
After
the
presentation
of
the
SRB,
the
Commissioners
will
provide
guidance
to
staff
on
changes
to
be
made
for
incorporation
into
the
commissioner's
budget.
The
commissioner's
budget
is
the
second
book
in
the
production
process
and
the
public
hearing
for
this
budget
is
scheduled
for
May
16
2023.
C
This
is
a
public
hearing.
This
public
hearing
is
required
by
the
Calvert
County
code
of
public
local
laws.
This
hearing
has
been
duly
advertised
and
there
is
a
certification
of
publication
in
our
files
that
constitute
the
record
of
this
hearing.
The
county
has
adopted
guidelines
for
conducting
public
hearings
as
detailed
in
resolution.
C
6-8-9,
an
overview
of
the
guidelines
were
provided
as
a
handout.
If
you
are
speaking
as
an
individual,
there
is
a
two-minute
time
limit.
If
you
are
the
designated
representative
of
an
organization,
you
will
be
allowed
five
minutes.
If
you
would
like
to
sign
up
to
speak,
there
is
a
sign
up
sheet
outside
of
each
courtroom.
Speakers
from
the
main
bocc
courtroom
will
speak
first,
followed
by
speakers
from
the
Overflow
courtroom.
C
D
For
those
here
and
listening
in,
please
know
that
my
responsibility
this
evening
is
to
provide
a
draft
budget
that
depicts
a
starting
point
from
which
the
board
of
County
Commissioners
future
budget
will
be
adopted
for
our
participating
citizens.
Please
know
that
before
the
fiscal
year
24
budget
can
be
adopted.
A
public
hearing
process
just
like
this
one
tonight
must
take
place.
D
The
board
of
County
Commissioners,
along
with
staff
responsible
to
provide
this
budget
draft,
appreciate
your
input
after
the
presentation
tonight.
My
staff
will
consider
those
comments
provided
by
our
citizens
and
will
begin
to
craft
the
final
budget
documents
for
Commissioners
review
staff
approaches
each
budget
conservatively
based
on
fiscal
data
available
at
the
time
the
staff
recommended
budget
still
needs
attention
to
be
considered.
A
balanced
budget
I
along
with
staff,
will
be
working
with
the
board
on
prioritizing
goals
and
making
adjustments.
D
D
This
credit
rating
helps
provide
significant
savings
when
borrowing
money
for
capital
projects
and,
most
importantly,
it
demonstrates
the
County's
fiscal
responsibility
for
managing
public
funds
on
behalf
of
the
board,
I
think
finance
and
budget,
along
with
the
Department
directors
and
their
staff,
for
their
hard
work
to
prepare
this
budget
I.
Also
thank
the
citizens
who
will
take
the
time
to
offer
their
input
tonight
during
this
budget
process.
D
D
E
E
We
also
use
this
fund
for
education,
mainly
for
public
schools,
but
also
for
the
College
of
Southern
Maryland
for
public
safety
for
the
Sheriff's
Office,
the
Detention
Center,
the
911
Center
and
career
EMS.
These
are
just
some
of
the
many
parts
that
help
keep
Calvert
County
safe
for
roads.
Public
Works
maintains
about
470
miles
of
Roads
for
the
community
there
are
libraries,
senior
centers,
Parks
museums
and
other
services.
E
E
Our
expenses
exceed
for
2024,
our
Revenue
by
41,
basically
0.4
million
dollars,
and
this
is
only
used
as
a
placeholder
until
we
do
further
Define
and
see
guidance
from
the
commissioners
on
areas
of
where
we
can
cut
where
we
can
improve
on
by
practice.
Accounting
will
not
adopt
a
budget
with
an
inflow
category
of
use
to
Prior
your
fund
balance
used
to
Prior
your
fund
balance
is
usually
limited
to
one-time
purchases
and
or
emergency
situations.
E
Another
item
that
I'd
like
to
point
out
is
Exelon
in
Dominion.
This
shot
slide
shows
that
the
excelon
and
Dominion
their
pilot
agreement
ends
in
fiscal
year
2023
and
they
will
be
go.
Dominion
will
be
going
to
a
42
percent
tax
credit,
whereas
Exelon
will
be
taxed
on
the
full
value
of
their
real
and
personal
property.
E
E
E
This
this
increase
impacts
the
movement
of
real
estate
sales,
thus
reducing
Recreation
tax.
On
the
other
side
of
the
increase
in
interest
rates,
the
county
has
seen
an
increase
in
our
interest
income.
So
that's
one
benefit
that
we
have
and
we've
also
seen
an
increase
in
our
real
estate
tax
assessments,
which
will
help
offset
this
impact.
E
E
E
General
fund
revenues,
our
general
fund
revenues
are
about
374
million
dollars.
That
includes
the
prayer.
Your
fund
balance
deficit
of
41.4
million,
as
you
can
see,
from
the
chart
about
82
percent
of
our
revenues
for
the
general
fund,
come
from
property
tax
and
income
tax,
and
that's
been
pretty
constant
since
2010.
E
Like
I
pointed
out
on
one
of
the
other
slides
about
dominion
and
Epsilon,
this
one's
going
to
focus
mostly
on
Dominion
again
Dominion,
is,
is
coming
off
their
pilot
program,
which
ends
in
fiscal
year
2023
and
will
go
into
a
tax
credit
program.
They'll
receive
40
tax
credit,
so
the
county
will
receive
58
percent
in
of
their
valued
assets.
E
We
see
it
decreasing
and
then
again
in
23
and
in
24
you'll
see
that
21
is
the
largest
increase
and
it's
directly
related
to
income
tax
23
fiscal
year.
23
shows
the
11.5
million
decrease
over
22.,
which
is
a
decrease
in
income
tax
of
9.3
million
dollars
fiscal
year.
24
shows
a
decrease
of
9.4
million
over
fiscal
year,
23.
E
F
Thanks
Sharon
good
evening,
I
am
Beth.
Richmond
deputy
director
of
finance
and
budget
Sharon
spoke
to
you
about
general
fund
revenues
and
I
will
speak
to
you
about
general
fund
expenditures.
Here
is
a
visual
representation
of
the
general
fund
expenditures
for
every
dollar.
The
county
spends
out
of
the
general
fund.
39
cents
goes
to
the
county
schools
36
Cents
is
spent
on
operating
expenses.
F
12
cents
is
for
pensions,
insurance
and
Debt
Service
associated
with
Capital
Improvements.
Then
the
remaining
13
cents
covers
transfers
to
other
County
funds
and
other
agencies,
for
example
the
public
libraries
Calvert
Marine
Museum
and
the
non-debt
portion
of
capital,
Improvement
plan
or
CIP.
That's
just
to
name
a
few.
F
The
general
fund
expenditures
increased
32
million
over
the
adopted
budget
for
last
year.
I
will
walk
you
through
the
top
five
major
changes
with
the
largest
in
moving
down.
First,
the
staff
recommended
budget
includes
an
increase
of
16.2
million
for
transfers.
The
majority
of
that
increase
is
12.6
million
for
CIP
in
FY
23.
There
wasn't
a
general
fund
contribution
to
CIP.
If
you
compare
the
fy24
recommended
funding
to
the
adopted
funding
for
FY
22,
the
increase
is
2
million.
F
Next
we
have
project
management
with
an
increase
of
3
million.
Most
of
that
increases
to
restore
Paving
funding
to
its
FY
22
adopted
amount.
The
budget
for
FY
23
was
supplemented
with
arpa
funding.
Third
on
the
list
is
health
insurance.
Initially,
we
projected
a
21
increase
due
to
anticipated
increase
in
premiums.
We
have
just
received
the
actual
premium
rates
from
care
first,
and
they
were
slightly
lower
than
expected.
Therefore,
we'll
be
knowing
our
estimate
for
the
commissioner's
budget.
F
Next
on
the
list
is
the
Sheriff's
Office.
There
is
a
step
in
a
cost
of
living
adjustment.
In
this
budget.
The
sheriff's
office
has
the
most
employees,
so
it
makes
sense.
They
would
see
a
large
increase
in
salary
expense
over
the
prior
year.
In
addition,
a
larger
number
of
vehicles
are
on
the
fy24
replacement
schedule
as
compared
to
FY
23..
F
G
These
funds
operate
on
revenues
earned
by
charging
fees
to
their
customers,
modern
sewer
charges,
Capital
connection
fees
and
user
fees,
a
solid
waste
and
recycling
charges,
tip
fees,
excise
taxes
and
solid
waste
fees.
Water
and
Sewer
serves
major
town
centers
in
Prince,
Frederick
and
Solomons,
as
well
as
many
smaller
communities.
Throughout
the
county.
G
G
The
budget
increased
by
less
than
four
percent
over
fiscal
year
of
2023
or
400
47
796
dollars
for
Revenue
charges
for
services
increased
by
5.57
percent.
This
is
due
to
the
completion
of
the
counterwide
meter
replacement
project.
We
now
have
better
consumption
estimates
as
the
basis
for
our
Revenue
projections.
G
G
The
solid
waste
and
recycling
fund
is
used
to
run
the
county,
landfill
out
appeal
and
all
of
the
six
resident
convenience,
centers
or
compactor
sites.
This
funds
budget
is
increasing
by
just
over
one
percent
or
181
728
dollars.
The
revenue
increased
slightly
due
to
the
CPI
increase
to
the
solid
waste
fee.
This
fee
appears
on
the
county,
businesses
and
residence
tax
bill.
The
main
increase
for
expenses
is
for
the
capital
outlay
items
next
slide.
G
G
The
plan
is
to
raise
this
fee
by
three
dollars
per
user
from
one
hundred
fifty
one
dollars
to
one
hundred
fifty
four
dollars
as
staff
prepares
for
the
commissioner's
budget
and
finalizes
the
figures,
they
will
possibly
be
an
adjustment
to
the
other
fees.
Next
up
will
be
Veronica,
Atkinson
and
Dr
townsell.
H
Good
evening,
Commissioners
I
am
Veronica
Atkinson
the
capital
projects
analyst.
My
first
slide
is
an
overview
of
the
staff
recommended
six-year
Capital
Improvement
plan
or
CIP.
This
table
reflects
a
breakdown
of
the
six-year
expenses
by
functional
Department.
Each
of
the
Departments
is
listed
to
the
far
left
of
the
table
with
each
year's
expenses,
following
towards
the
right.
H
The
total
expenses
for
the
six-year
CIP
is
501
million
three
hundred
eighty
eight
thousand
and
thirty
eight
dollars.
Even
though
the
CIP
covers
a
period
of
six
years,
only
the
first
year
is
adopted
or
funded
by
the
board.
In
this
case,
it's
fy24,
and
it's
highlighted
here
in
yellow
the
remaining
five
years-
are
for
planning
purposes
only.
H
This
table
focuses
on
fy24
CIP
the
column
to
the
far
left
details,
each
functional
department
and
the
column
in
yellow
represents
their
total
requested.
Expenses
to
the
right
of
the
total
expenses
is
a
breakdown
of
the
revenues.
This
shows
how
each
functional
Department
plans
to
pay
for
their
projects
during
fy24.
H
The
total
for
fy24
general
fund,
which
is
the
top
portion
of
the
table,
is
64
million.
547
184
dollars
below
the
general
fund
is
Enterprise
funds.
Here
is
the
revenue
breakdown
and
the
funding
source.
The
Enterprise
funds
will
use
to
pay
for
their
projects.
Their
fy24
total
request
is
18
million
one
hundred
and
ninety
three
thousand
dollars
the
fy24
staff
recommended
CIP.
Total
is
82
million,
seven
hundred
forty
thousand
one
hundred
and
eighty
four
dollars
as
Rachel
explained.
The
Enterprise
funds
are
self-supporting
funds.
H
H
I
Good
evening,
one
of
the
most
important
responsibilities
of
the
Calvert
County
Board
of
Education,
in
collaboration
with
the
superintendent
and
staff,
is
to
provide
prudent
fiscal
management.
It
can
be
very
challenging
at
times
the
proposed
fiscal
year.
2024
budget
includes
new
cost
pressures
on
multiple
friends.
First,
there's
inflation
that
is
approaching
40-year
highs.
Inflation
is
increasing
cost
pressures
across
the
board
in
every
school
and
in
every
Department.
I
I
The
proposed
budget
includes
salary
increases
needed
to
meet
the
blueprint
mandate.
Lastly,
the
proposed
fy24
budget
includes
funding
for
comparable
wage
increases
for
support
staff
and
other
employee
groups
and
teachers
not
defined
in
the
blueprint.
These
increases
are
included
in
the
proposed
budget
to
ensure
efficient
operations
of
school
system
and
to
provide
Equitable
pay
for
our
employees.
I
We're
asking
for
an
additional
4.2
million
dollars,
which
is
all
the
negotiated
and
mandated
employee
benefit,
and
I
want
to
be
clear
within
that
14.2
million
dollars
that
include
Educators
not
defined
in
the
blueprint
special
education
cross,
Transportation
costs
I
shared
previously
it's
at
an
all-time
high.
In
the
last
five
years,
Transportation
costs
have
increased
by
45
percent,
other
contracted
Services
equipment
costs
with
inflation,
and
our
facility
costs
is
the
major
increase
for
this
upcoming
Academic
Year.
I
The
big
story
of
this
budget
is
the
blueprint
specifically
for
the
changes
in
students.
We
must
pay
for
students,
advanced
placement
assessments.
We
must
pay
for
all
students,
dual
enrollment.
We
must
pay
for
all
students,
Career
and
Technical
education,
certifications,
changes
for
staff,
as
you
know,
mandated
in
the
blueprint
a
10
salary
increase
by
July
1
2024.
I
I
The
Kerwin
legislation
is
the
blueprint
and
it
requires
that
we
give
our
Educators
10
between
FY
19
FY
24,
we're
preparing
to
split
that
up
into
installments
of
2.75
before
June
30
2024.
We
must
have
an
implementation
of
the
career
ladder
put
in
place
by
the
fiscal
year
25
and
by
fiscal
year,
26,
starting
at
top
of
27
26
27
school
year.
Our
base
starting
teacher
salary
for
all
Educators
in
capital,
County,
Public
School,
must
be
at
sixty
thousand
dollars
and
there
are
other
blueprint
requirements.
E
E
Staff
presentation
of
the
staff
recommended
budget
for
fiscal
year
2024..
The
four
will
now
be
open
for
public
comment,
starting
with
those
attending
in
person
followed
by
virtual
callers.
So
first
we're
going
to
start
by
the
public
people.
Who
would
would
like
to
speak
in
this
current
courtroom
and
then
after
we
have
after
they
have
spoken,
then
we
will
bring
the
people
who
have
signed
up
to
speak
from
the
Overflow
courtroom.
So
first
on
the
list
is
Stephen
Moran.
J
J
Thank
you
for
having
me
my
name
is
Steve
Moran
I'm,
the
president
of
the
paternal
War
Police
Lodge
109,
that
represents
the
Calvert
County
Sheriff's
Office.
We
had
an
opportunity
to
review
the
2024
budget,
the
staff
recommended
budget
and
we're
here
to
show
our
support
for
that
budget
in
that
budget.
It
shows
a
excuse
me.
As
you
know,
last
year
the
county
made
great
strides
in
closing
the
market,
closing
the
pay
gap
between
Calvert
County,
Sheriff's
Office
and
the
southern
Maryland
region.
J
J
We
understand
there's
only
so
much
we
can
do
and
we
find
that
that
5.5
Gap
is
reasonable
at
this
time,
but
we'd
ask
for
further
consideration
of
a
multi-year
pay
increase
on
the
budgets
for
future
years
remaining
between
within
the
five
percent
range
of
the
Southern
Southern
Maryland
Regional
average
is
critical
for
being
able
to
bring
in
top
recruits
and
being
able
to
keep
the
officers
and
staff
we
have
in
place
now.
We'd
like
to
see
the
county
remain
one
of
the
safest
counties,
if
not
the
safest
County
in
Maryland.
K
M
Good
evening,
commissioners,
first
and
foremost,
I
want
to
thank
all
of
you
for
your
continued
support
of
the
College
of
Southern
Maryland
and
your
commitment
to
work
together
with
us
to
improve
and
enhance
the
lives
of
our
citizens
through
our
students.
Without
your
support,
we
would
not
be
where
we
are
today,
and
we
really
look
forward
to
working
closely
with
you
for
the
bright
future
ahead
for
our
citizens.
M
As
I
said
during
the
state
of
the
college
presentation
we're
looking
to
meet
our
students
where
they
are
and
best
provide
them
the
opportunity
to
fulfill
their
dreams
and
reach
their
goals.
Our
budget
involves
supporting
our
employees
working
diligently
to
formulate
a
solid
foundation
that
will
move
us
in
that
direction,
while
managing
our
resources
conservatively
our
fiscal
year,
24
budget
has
been
prepared
with
two
primary
goals
in
mind,
maximizing
the
use
of
our
resources
and
minimizing
increases
as
best
as
possible.
M
So
to
this
end,
in
a
time
when
we
are
seeing
dramatic
increases
in
the
cost
of
goods
and
services
and
we've
had
a
tremendous
enrollment
decline
over
the
years
with
a
slight
uptick
this
spring
that
we're
happy
to
announce
our
overall
budget
is
presented
with
a
modest
increase
of
2.3
percent,
but
for
the
county
allocation
that
we're
requesting
we're
requesting
of
each
County.
An
overall
5.2
percent
increase
allocated,
based
on
total
square
footage
of
the
buildings
maintained
in
each
County
and
student
headcount,
based
on
each
student's,
County
or
residence.
M
N
My
name
is
Donna
coxusenzo
I
want
to
begin
by
saying:
I
love
this
County.
It
is
the
only
home
I've
ever
known
and
I
love
our
Public
Schools
I
am
a
proud
educator
who
has
spent
the
past
34
years,
teaching
Elementary
School
students
and
being
the
president
of
Calvary
Education
Association
as
president
of
cea.
Part
of
my
job
is
to
advocate
for
my
profession
and
the
1200
plus
Educators,
who
work
for
Calvert
County.
N
This
may
mean
at
times
I
butt
heads
with
elected
officials
or
don't
see
eye
to
eye
on
a
particular
issue,
but
at
the
end
of
the
day,
I
would
hope
that
there
is
a
mutual
respect
for
the
job
that
we
each
have
been
elected.
To
do
I
understand
that
the
process
of
developing
a
budget
takes
months.
That
is
why
in
December
I
challenge
Dr
townsell
to
build
a
budget
based
on
the
needs
of
our
students
and
staff,
not
a
dollar
amount.
N
He
thought
you,
the
County,
Commissioners
may
or
may
not
approve
one
that
addresses
the
shortage
of
the
most
valuable
resource
in
education,
teachers,
speech
and
language,
Pathologists,
counselors,
instructional
assistants,
to
name
just
a
few
Calvert
County
Public
Schools
must
attract
the
best
and
retain
the
dedicated
and
hard-working
employees
of
Calvert
County
in
our
region.
Calvert
County
used
to
have
the
highest
starting
salary,
but
as
of
July,
23
Calvert
will
have
the
lowest
starting
salary
of
the
five
surrounding
counties.
N
How
will
we
be
able
to
retain
our
current
Workforce
when
they
see
a
proposed
Calvert
County
staff
recommended
budget
to
the
County
Commissioners
for
FY
24?
That
recommends
for
Calvert,
County,
Public,
Schools
level
funding
compared
to
FY
23
or
in
other
words,
no
steps?
No
colas,
no
additional
staff
I
get
the
whole
song
and
dance
game
that
is
played
during
the
budget
process,
but
caliber
County
staff
does
know
that
we
will
be
in
the
fourth
year
of
our
contract
with
ccps.
N
That
provides
a
step
and
a
one
percent
Cola
Calvert
County
staff
has
been
meeting
monthly
with
ccps
in
various
Community
stakeholders.
Regarding
the
implementation
of
the
blueprint
for
Maryland's,
future
staff
does
know
that
to
meet
the
requirements
outlined
in
the
law,
each
County
must
raise
their
overall
teacher
salary
by
10
percent.
L
N
2019
to
2024.,
because
of
this
it
resulted
in
ccps
and
cea
signing
an
mou
in
December
for
an
additional
2.75
Cola
in
August
and
in
February.
Why
would
these
items
not
be
referenced
in
the
Calvert
County
staff
recommended
budget
for
fy24
when
both
have
fiscal
implications
on
this
budget?
Why
would
these
salary
increases
not
be
included
in
the
fy24
budget
for
Calvert
County
Public
School
Employees,
like
they
were
for
County
employees?
N
According
to
the
National
Bureau
of
economic
research,
there
is
a
strong
correlation
between
school
expenditures
and
home
values.
A
report
titled
School
spending
raises
property
values
found
that
for
every
dollar
spent
on
public
schools
in
an
area
home
values
increase
by
twenty
dollars.
Investing
in
public
education
is
investing
in
the
future
of
Calvert
County.
Thank
you.
E
O
Good
evening
Commissioners,
my
name
is
Joseph.
Cormier
I
want
to
talk
to
you
tonight
about
my
experience
as
a
parent
volunteer
with
Calvert
County
Public
Schools.
When
my
youngest
started
here
in
first
grade,
I
was
a
stay-at-home
dad
and
I
was
in
my
son's
school
five
days
a
week,
making
copies
picture
day,
clinics,
whatever
it
was
I
was
their
guy
and
there
was
no
twiddling
of
thumbs.
There
was
nobody
sitting
in
the
break
room.
You
know
waiting
for
something
to
do.
It
was
all
hands
on
deck
and
that
was
before
the
pandemic
started.
O
O
O
We
can
save
all
the
trees
we
want
and
all
the
tracks
of
land,
but
if
there's
no
one
here
to
enjoy
it,
what's
the
point,
we
need
to
invest
in
our
children's
future
and
to
say
that
we
don't
want
to
burden
our
children
with
the
extra
fund
of
hiring
more
staff,
you're
robbing
Peter
to
pay
Paul.
Our
kids
deserve
an
education
and
we
have
to
give
it
to
them.
I
want
the
CTA
to
seat
400,
500,
kids.
We
can't
get
plumbers
to
come
in
and
teach
them
how
to
do
it
because
we
can't
pay
them.
O
We
can't
get
teachers
to
come
to
this
County.
We
need
to
increase
the
pipeline
of
teachers
from
high
school
to
go
to
college
and
come
back.
We
need
to
grow
our
own
here.
So
as
you
build
this
budget,
go
from
this
start
line
and
keep
sprinting
because
we
need
to
invest
in
our
people.
Our
people
are
our
needs.
Thank
you.
P
P
P
P
I
really
feel
and
I
think
you
guys
do
too
that
this
is
not
a
livable
or
Fair
wage.
It's
just
not
the
things
that
we
do
within
the
school
are
so
vital
and
so
important.
It
goes
beyond
getting
the
kids
off
the
bus
it
it.
We
are
they're
mentors.
We
are
their
support,
we're
their
emotional
support.
We
are
teaching
them.
We
are
making
sure
that
they're
meeting
all
those
marks,
I
really
hope
that
you
consider
this.
P
Q
Good
evening
my
name
is
Heather
Bronson
and
I
am
a
pre-kia
at
Sunderland,
Elementary
I'd,
like
to
start
off
by
saying:
I
have
15,
plus
years
of
experience
and
education
working
at
a
nationally
accredited
Child
Care
Center
within
the
county,
as
well
as
my
experience
with
Calvert
County
Public
Schools.
With
that
being
said,
I
don't
even
make
thirty
thousand
dollars
a
year
as
a
mother
of
two
children.
It
is
absolutely
impossible
to
live
and
provide
for
my
children
on
my
own
with
the
Salary
thank
God
for
my
husband.
Q
I
do
work
two
jobs
myself
to
provide
for
my
family
I
know
I'm,
not
the
only
one
working,
multiple
jobs
to
survive.
Many
of
my
colleagues
do
the
same
as
well.
We
should
be
able
to
live
and
provide
for
our
families
within
our
County,
in
which
we
work
without
having
to
do
additional
having
to
need
additional
employment.
Other
surrounding
County
School
Systems
Support
staff
make
10
to
15
000
more
than
Calvert
County
support
staff.
Q
I
think
it's
absolutely
absurd
that
there
is
nowhere
in
the
budget
to
allow
for
increase
in
pay
for
teachers
as
well
as
support
staff,
but
yet
Public
Safety
workers,
the
sheriff's
department
and
other
essential
Departments
of
our
community,
including
yourselves,
we'll
see
an
increase
this
year.
What
does
this
mean
for
our
school
system?
Higher
turnover
rates,
less
teachers,
that
means
higher
Classics
sizes,
less
support
staff,
less
support
for
our
students.
Thank
you.
Thank
you
for
your
time.
R
R
More
nervous
than
like
being
in
front
of
eighth
graders,
but
you
guys
are
way
less
scary,
so
I
currently
teach
eighth
grade
at
Mill,
Creek,
Middle
School,
but
tonight
I'm
speaking
as
a
citizen,
I've
read
a
few
things.
The
last
couple
days
that
have
concerned
me.
The
first
is
that
the
budget
isn't
final.
Of
course,
it's
not
final.
If
it
was
Final,
it
would
be
too
late.
What
you
see
all
these
people
here,
it's
advocacy
if
we
waited
until
it
was
Final
there
wouldn't
be
anything
left.
R
I
can't
imagine
telling
a
student
not
to
advocate
for
themselves,
because
their
grade
isn't
final.
Another
is
that
we
not
burden
future
Generations
cuts
and,
let's
be
clear,
maintenance
of
effort
with
this
inflation
is
a
cut
to
education,
burdens
future
Generations.
There
already
aren't
enough
seats
at
CTA.
Teacher
shortages
are
nationwide
inferring.
Something
like
raising
taxes
is
a
burden
to
Future
Generations.
Without
considering
the
burden
of
cutting
children's
access
to
Services
denotes
an
inability
or
unwill
willingness
to
see
the
full
picture.
R
You
can
always
lower
taxes
in
the
future,
but
children
can't
get
back
missed
educational
opportunities.
The
third
is
the
staff
proposed
budget.
The
letter
from
the
County
Administrator
claims
to
prioritize
education,
but
looks
like
it
actually
means.
We
can't
legally
fund
education
any
less
it
even
notes.
New
Moe
requirements
haven't
been
calculated.
It
seems
short-sighted
to
not
budget
at
all,
for
what
you
know
is
coming,
especially
as
it
was
proposed
by
someone
who
sits
on
the
blueprint
committee.
R
S
Hi,
my
name
is
April
Corey
and
I'm.
The
financial
secretary
at
Sunderland,
Elementary
I'm,
overworked
and
underpaid
we're
a
school
of
713
students
with
roughly
100
staff
members
I
handle
all
Financial
aspects
in
my
school
and
I
am
also
the
registrar,
adding
235
new
students.
This
year
alone,
I
could
go
on
about
my
endless
job
expectations
and
how
hard
I
work,
but
I'm
not
here
to
tell
you
about
what
I
do
every
day.
S
I
am
a
12
month
professional
secretary
who
works
year
round
and
I
am
making
a
salary
that
is
so
low
that
it
mirrors
what
I
was
making
20
years
ago.
I
bring
home
1200
every
two
weeks.
I
hope
this
number
shocks
you
because
it
should
I,
cannot
live
on.
My
wage
I
cannot
afford
to
take
my
eight
and
nine
year
old
son
to
McDonald's.
S
S
S
My
fear
is
that
if
something
does
not
change,
I
will
have
no
other
choice
but
to
seek
employment
elsewhere,
simply
to
meet
basic
needs
of
my
family
I'm,
not
alone.
Please
consider
allocating
funds
to
help
alleviate
this
crisis.
And
yes,
this
is
a
crisis,
this
inflation
and
what
we
are
facing
as
families
and
community
members.
S
We
all
work
very
hard
as
support
staff.
We
are
invested
in
our
livelihoods.
You
heard
many
people
talk
about
their
heart
and
soul.
I
am
one
of
those
employees
as
well.
I
bring
my
heart
to
Sunderland
Elementary
every
single
day.
We
ask
that
our
community
invests
in
US
as
we
invest
daily
in
our
school
communities.
L
T
T
Support
the
teachers
and
I
also
have
my
blue
I
should
have
on
a
yellow
for
bus
drivers.
I
would
have
to
have
a
lot
of
shirts
to
really
represent
everyone
who
needs
to
be
represented,
but
I'm
on
the
board
of
education.
Vice
president
I'm,
not
speaking
about
that,
but
I'm.
Also
the
father
of
a
middle
schooler
and
I.
L
T
These
folks
When
I
Look
Out
In,
This
Crowd.
You
know
these
folks
and
the
folks
downstairs.
You
know
what
they
deserve.
They
need
to
be
respected.
They
need
to
be
paid.
They
need
to
be
taken
care
of
it's
not
an
easy
job.
I
heard
you
guys
say
several
times
how
hard
it
is
because
you're
responsible
for
everyone's
money,
it
has
to
be
responsibly
spent,
and
we
understand
that
the
presentations
and
the
people
that
came
here
when
they
came,
they
didn't
just
throw
numbers
together.
T
It's
important
to
me
it's
very
important
to
me
because
they
are
responsible
for
our
future.
So,
if
we're
going
to
spend
money
on
things,
why
not
invest
it
in
our
kids,
because
they're
going
to
be
the
ones
who
are
taking
care
of
us?
So
why
not
give
them
what
they
need
now
to
make
sure
that
they
have
that
and
if
we
don't
have
the
teachers
and
the
bus
drivers
and
support
staff
and
everyone
else?
What
are
we
going
to
do?
T
We
can
just
sit
there
and
we
can
sit
back
and
act
like
okay
I'm
going
to
do
whatever
I'm
going
to
do
anyway,
but
we
have
to
listen.
We
have
to
listen
to
these
people,
who
put
you
guys
in
those
seats
a
lot
of
them
voted
for.
You
supported
you
so
now
it's
time
for
you
to
step
up
and
show
them
that
you're
going
to
do
what
they
put
you
there
to
do.
Thank
you
very
much.
U
Sharing
their
art
to
on
Virtual,
there
is
one
with
last
four
digits
of
your
phone
number
1930,
please
press
star!
Nine!
If
you
wish
to
speak,
there's
one
identified
as
iPhone.
If
you're
using
the
app
you
can
use
the
raise
your
hand,
function
or
press
star
nine,
if
you're
using
your
telephone
function,.