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Educators urge council to fund 82.2 special-education positions and a 3% COLA; administration funds 26 positions
Summary
Teachers, special-education staff and administrators told the council that the board of education requested 82.2 special-education positions; the county executive’s budget funds 26. Speakers said caseloads are large, staff are burned out, and a 3% cost-of-living increase is needed to retain personnel.
A series of educators and school leaders told the council that special-education services are stretched and that the county’s proposed FY27 funding falls short of the board of education’s request.
"Special education is under extraordinary strain from chronic understaffing," Michelle Steinbacher, a special educator, said. She and others asked the council to fully fund the board’s request of 82.2 positions so that services are delivered legally and consistently.
Multiple speakers described very large classroom or caseload counts, including a union representative who reported expectations of 11 to 13 students in some alternate curriculum classrooms and a teacher who said she had a caseload of 72 students during 2024. Several witnesses warned that insufficient staffing forces educators into unpaid labor, contributes to burnout and damages students’ access to required services.
Administrators and principals asked the council to restore a 2 percent step or equivalent and a 3 percent COLA for Anne Arundel County Public Schools employees instead of the proposed 2.25 percent. "Restoring the original recommendation would not erase every challenge, but it would demonstrate a continued investment in the professionals who dedicate their lives to children and public service," Tracy Ahern, a school principal and president of the Association of Educational Leaders, told the council.
Speakers asked the council to consider revenue adjustments—maintaining the current property tax rate, or raising the county’s top income tax rate by 0.1 percentage points—as ways to raise funds to meet the board’s staffing and compensation requests.
No formal council vote or amendment occurred during the public-comment period; speakers urged action during the amendment phase.
