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Public commenters urge board to protect classroom positions and demand transparency as budget cuts are debated
Summary
Public speakers at the Harford County Board of Education meeting urged the board to preserve classroom positions, called for transparency about grant funding and county negotiations, and raised concerns about curriculum and student supports during debate over the FY27 budget.
Multiple public commenters told the Harford County Board of Education on Feb. 24 that proposed FY27 budget adjustments risked cutting classroom capacity and essential supports for students.
David Bauer, who reviewed the superintendent’s line‑by‑line proposal during his three‑minute public comment, said the proposed budget lists nine positions as "overstaffs" that were described in earlier meetings as positions funded by federal Title I grants and warned that removing those lines would cut current teaching positions. "If you cut that item, you're cutting current teaching positions," Bauer said.
Crystal Ruffinot, who identified herself as an HCBS educator, told the board she was speaking to put concerns on the record about transparency in budget communications and urged board members to "set aside politics" when deciding what is "needed for our students." She asked the board to revisit line items and consider child impact when evaluating cuts.
William Martino, speaking for Moms for Liberty in Harford County during a virtual comment, criticized the district’s local ask relative to student proficiency and urged the board to reduce central‑office staff and redirect resources to the classroom.
Other commenters raised broader concerns about curriculum and parental authority; one long‑time resident urged the board to remove what he called "gender ideology teachings" from the curriculum and to emphasize core academics.
Board members said they heard those concerns and pressed staff for specifics about how grant funding and year‑end balances affect operating requests. Business‑office staff said many curriculum materials and subscriptions had been paid from year‑end savings in prior years and explained why some items are in capital rather than operating budgets. Staff and board members agreed to follow up with more detailed line‑by‑line documentation and to offer stakeholder meetings to review changes.
The public comment period set the tone for the board’s later line‑by‑line votes to reduce some proposed positions and to use a portion of fund balance to blunt the local ask to the county.
