Elementary school parents won’t have to worry about class sizes rising in Baltimore County Public Schools. That’s thanks to an extra $9.3 million from the county executive.

Superintendent Myriam Rogers and County Executive Kathy Klausmeier announced Friday morning at the school system headquarters in Towson that the extra money will restore about 140 school jobs that had been on the chopping block amid budget cuts. About 93 of them are in elementary schools, 38 are in middle schools and 10 are high school assistant principals.

Initially, Rogers’ proposed budget changed the staffing formula, allowing for up to 25 students per teacher in first grade and up. Now the class ratios can stay the way they are in elementary schools: 23 students for every teacher in first and second grades and 24 students for each third to fifth grader. The budget was approved by the school board in a narrow vote last month.

Middle school teachers will have 24 students each, a two-student increase, and high school teachers will still go up to 25 students as planned.

Rising class sizes and position cuts were a point of contention as school board members considered next year’s budget. The superintendent committed to pay raises for 20,000 union employees to the tune of $93 million. To afford it, Rogers proposed cutting nearly 600 positions, including 300 teaching jobs, to save $59 million. That meant bigger classes as parents and educators reported some classrooms bursting at the seams already.

Forty assistant principals were also on the chopping block. Billy Burke, head of the Council of Administrative and Supervisory Employees, voiced concern about the loss during Tuesday’s school board meeting.

“You cannot cut the leadership of a building and expect the culture to remain intact,” he said.

Now only 30 will be cut.

Klausmeier will propose her budget for the county, about half of it earmarked for the school system, on April 16. The County Council must approve it before June.

It was always Klausmeier’s intention to give more, Rogers said, but the two leaders were working on different timelines. The county executive needed to see the budget proposals for various agencies before deciding how much extra money she could give the school system.

The working relationship is much different than last year’s, Klausmeier said. That’s when Rogers requested an unprecedented 11% increase in additional funds, which Klausmeier rejected.

“Last year, we weren’t quite working all that in sync that much,” she said. “This year, we were like twin sisters.”

About the Education Hub

This reporting is part of The Banner’s Education Hub, community-funded journalism that provides parents with resources they need to make decisions about how their children learn. Read more.