Politics & Government

County Libraries, Schools Gain Funding as Prince George's Passes $2.7 Billion Budget

Council increases funding for libraries, declines to fund new Board of Ed. administrative positions.

The Prince George's County Council unanimously passed a $2.7 billion budget Thursday for fiscal year 2014, which begins on July 1, 2013.

The budget avoids furloughs or workforce reductions for county employees, which was a part of County Executive Rushern L. Baker III's proposed budget released earlier this year. 

The largest slice of the budget, however, goes to the Prince George's County Board of Education and the Prince George's County Public School system, which will be receiving $1.68 billion, an increase of 1.4 percent over the current fiscal year. 

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But the Prince George's County Council declined to fund 15 new full-time administrative positions, which the Prince George's County school board created earlier this year. 

"If they choose to hire, then they'll have to find the resources within their budget we approved," said County Council Chair Andrea Harrison. "We didn't fund it." 

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The county council is also requesting that the school board allocate $500,000 to help fund an audit of the county school system's performance. It has been 15 years since such an audit was undertaken within the county school system. 

The budget gave Prince George's County Memorial Library System some good news. Under the county executive's proposed budget, funding would have been cut by $800,000, or 3.2 percent over the current fiscal year. The budget approved by the county council Thursday increased funding by $2.5 million over the county executive's proposed budget. That includes $500,000 to restore Sunday hours at three county libraries, purchase new computers and other operating needs.

Which county libraries will see their Sunday hours restored has not yet been determined.

Another $3.6 million in transportation funding has been set aside to improve pedestrian safety on county streets through the installation of crosswalks and other enhancements. 


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