WASHINGTON — The message to taxpayers in Prince George’s County from County Executive Rushern Baker is: “I hear you.”
At a news conference less than 24 hours before a county council vote on his budget proposal, Baker took an ambitious — opponents said onerous — tax proposal off the table.
Baker originally suggested boosting the property tax rate by 15.6 percent. That would generate a projected $133 million dollars to go toward education. But in the face of stiff opposition, Baker said he was cutting that amount in half, and that he would not tell the county council how to find the $65 million dollars.
Baker said he got the message that perhaps he was moving too fast, and being too aggressive with the big jump in a property tax rate. Although he still thinks that’s what is needed to reach his goal of getting the county school system in the state’s top 10 by 2020.
He says while the $65 million won’t get the county into that top 10 tier “It will move us up, and show the region that we’re serious about making investments in public education.”
Prince George’s County schools are ranked near the bottom in statewide comparisons, with only Baltimore City schools rated lower.
Baker says the $65 million dollars would allow the school system to negotiate teacher salaries “so we don’t lose our best and brightest.” The plan he laid out Wednesday afternoon would also continue to expand universal pre-Kindergarten which Baker calls “very successful.”
The county executive said there would be programs that would take a hit without the $133 million he hoped to raise. A comprehensive digital education program, gifted and talented programs, universal breakfast programs and literacy coaching in the middle schools would likely not be funded without the full amount Baker proposed.
At Wednesday’s news conference, Baker was adamant that the $65 million dollars is critical to funding education, but would not say whether he might veto the budget if the county council doesn’t work to find that additional amount when it votes on the budget Thursday.
WTOP’s Kate Ryan contributed to this report.
