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Prince George's County is still reviewing whether to appeal the state's denial of a request to cut $23.6 million from the school system to balance its $2.6 billion budget for next year, a county spokesman said Tuesday.

In a statement released Friday by the Maryland State Board of Education, officials said the county did not prove that it is facing "significant, extraordinary circumstances" to justify receiving a waiver of maintenance of effort, a requirement that school funding remain at least the same as in the previous year. The waiver would have allowed the county to provide $585.9 million to the school system instead of the required $609.5 million.

The county will now be required to provide a total of $609.5 million.

"The county has not met its burden of proof," board members wrote in their ruling.

Jim Keary, a spokesman for County Executive Jack B. Johnson (D), said there is still a possibility that the decision will be appealed in court. Officials have 30 days to appeal.

County officials had sought to cut their share of the school's $1 billion budget to balance a $113 million deficit caused by the declining economy. Johnson and officials have said they may have to fire an additional 365 workers if the request is denied. The county was already slated to cut 307 positions before the ruling.

Johnson spokesman John Erzen said the county was "surprised" by the ruling. "We need time to go through everything," said Erzen, who could not say what effect the denial will have as the county finishes its budget. "We need time to see how this affects the county's fiscal picture as we move forward."

School board members, who had opposed the cuts, celebrated.

"We're excited that the state board considered the work that we're attempting to do with our young people and factored the number of schools in school improvement and considered that in the request," said Superintendent William R. Hite Jr.

Hite said if the waiver had been approved, the school system would have been forced to raise class sizes, furlough employees and cut jobs.

Both Hite and board Chairwoman Verjeana M. Jacobs (At-Large) said they empathized with the tough decisions the county government would have to make.

Jacobs said if education is not adequately funded in the county "everything else fails."

"We are grateful for the funding our county executive has provided to the school district and we'll continue to work with the county to achieve our goals and advance education," she said.

In making their respective cases on the issue, Johnson and Hite each argued in front of the state board April 27 that the other should raid their reserve funds to pay for education funding.

The state board also denied requests by Montgomery and Wicomico counties to cut back their shares of local education funding in the next fiscal year, which begins July 1. Several other counties had sought waivers but withdrew their requests.

E-mail Daniel Valentine at dvalentine@gazette.net