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Resident urges caution on school-budget rhetoric, cites low literacy and enrollment declines in St. Mary's County
Summary
During public comment, a St. Mary’s County resident described low student proficiency rates and falling enrollment, urged a measured response to school funding debates, and said the county has funded schools above the state "blueprint" for more than a decade.
A resident speaking during the public-comment portion of a St. Mary's County meeting urged officials and the public to temper rhetoric around school funding and noted the county faces low student proficiency and falling enrollment.
The speaker said literacy was the focus of a recent NAACP meeting in Lexington Park where "the superintendent, Dr. Smith," and school principals addressed reading and math performance. The resident cited figures discussed at the meeting: 8.9% proficiency in math and 19% proficiency in English. The resident said listening to a single mother at the meeting gave him "a whole different perspective" on the effects of poverty on families.
Why it matters: The resident tied those education concerns to the county budget process and the state funding "blueprint," saying St. Mary's County has funded its board of education above the state's minimum maintenance-of-effort level for about 10 years. "We're actually probably gonna be ahead of 2031 after our budget work session next week," the resident said, describing the county's required funding as a moving target.
The resident gave specific budget and enrollment details, saying the county currently funds roughly $134,369,000 for schools ("and some change," the speaker added), that student enrollment fell by 329 children last year and that the commissioners therefore did not have to fund about $919,000 tied to those lost pupils. "They're not expecting any increase in student enrollment until 2031 and beyond," the resident said, urging patience and restraint: "Don't start rallying people up... The key is this, understand this is a process we're working our way through it. Let's wait and see where we end up."
The speaker also described public comment at the NAACP event and quoted Janice Walthour, saying Walthour stood up and told the audience, "that's what poverty looks like," after a parent described working two jobs and arriving home late to help children with homework.
The resident said the district will likely receive more state money than the maintenance-of-effort minimum but added, "Is it gonna be as much as they want? Probably not."
The remarks included brief community notes unrelated to the school budget: attendance at a Southern Maryland Volunteer Firefighters Association installation, and positive remarks about a local series called Cosmic Symphony.
No formal action was taken during the comment; the speaker's remarks were presented as firsthand observations and summaries of presentations given by school officials at a separate NAACP meeting.
