Senator Louis Young asks committee to study school funding for fast-growing district
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Summary
Sen. Louis Young presented SB170 asking for a work group to revisit the school funding formula after his county saw enrollment growth of up to 800 students midyear over recent years and absorbed roughly $34 million; he suggested mitigation options and growth-rate cutoffs to limit fiscal impact.
Sen. Louis Young told the Appropriations Committee that SB170 would create a work group to review Maryland’s school funding formula for communities experiencing rapid enrollment growth.
Young said his county, described as the state’s fastest-growing, saw midyear enrollment increases of as many as 800 students and, because funding is based on a point-in-time headcount, the county absorbed roughly $34 million over five years. He framed SB170 as an equity issue: if the budget includes mitigations for districts losing enrollment through a three-year average, it is appropriate to study adjustments for districts that are growing.
Young suggested that a work group could examine national best practices, consider growth-rate cutoffs to limit fiscal exposure, and make any resulting recommendations subject to available funding. He asked the committee to advance the measure for further study.
Committee members thanked Young and moved on to other items; SB170 was presented for committee consideration in this excerpt and no committee vote was recorded.
