Maryland Governor's Budget to Renew Record Allocations to Nonpublic Schools

By Rabbi Ariel Sadwin, Mid-Atlantic Region Director, Agudath Israel of America
Posted on 01/31/14

Baltimore, MD - Jan. 31 - One year after securing record-breaking state allocations for Maryland's nonpublic schools, we are happy to applaud Governor Martin O'Malley for maintaining the 2013 funding levels of $9.6 million in his 2014 budget proposal. Of the 2013 total, $6.1 million went for the purchase of materials, including textbooks, workbooks, and software, through the Maryland Nonpublic Textbook Program, and the remaining $3.5 million was used to launch the Nonpublic Aging Schools program.

The 2014 Maryland State Budget, unveiled last week by the Governor, seeks to keep both programs funded at the new level, thus enabling the effective continuation of the two programs that have provided great benefit to the nonpublic school community.    

As with all items in the Governor's budget, the included items need to pass the scrutiny of the designated legislative committee and subcommittees to be included in the final budget bill. This process began on Wednesday with the budget hearing for the Nonpublic Aging Schools program in the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Education and Economic Development. Agudath Israel submitted testimony in support of this program - highlighting the vital security upgrades that many schools have made to their facilities with the funds they have received through the program.