County executive proposes a 9.3 percent increase in public education spending

Thursday, March 23, 2006

by Guy Leonard

Staff Writer

County Executive Jack Johnson today said that $1.5 billion of the $2.36 billion county budget he is proposing will go toward the public school system.

If Johnson's budget is adopted, it will be the first time in 20 years, that the county has fully funded the Board of Education's budget request. The education portion represents nearly 64 percent of the county budget.

“We're really excited about these numbers,“ Johnson told reporters. He said fully funding the education system is “one of the fundamental obligations of government.“

Johnson proposes that $602.2 million in county funds go to the Board of Education. That's $127.4 million more than last year's Board of Education budget, or a 9.3 percent increase.

Howard Burnett, who is soon to retire as interim-schools CEO, said he was elated about leaving the school system in good financial shape.

“What a way to go!“ he said.