Letter to the Editor on Shifting Teacher Pensions
In the April 4 Baltimore Sun article, “County lawmakers split on shifting teacher pensions,” Del. Elizabeth Bobo was quoted as saying, “something’s got to give. I know the county is in tight straits, but the state is in tighter straits.”
Shifting teacher pensions to the counties is not the answer, especially during these tough economic times. It is not Howard County’s fault that they have done a better job managing their budget and making tough choices. By doing this, what are we teaching our children? Is the lesson we are imparting on them: “When times get tough try and find someone a little better off than you and dump your problems on them.”
How is this going to make the situation better? It is just shifting the requirement to pay from one group to another. The requirement still exists. The county government is already running on bare bones. Requiring them to spend an extra $4.4 million they don’t have in 2011 and $24 million by 2015 is going to end up hurting classroom instruction.
Howard County has one of the best school systems in the nation. This is due to the excellent teachers and the large investment made by the county. Can we really afford to spend less on our children’s future just because the state has not been able to manage our resources?
I was taught as a child that if you have a problem it is your responsibility to deal with it, not pass it along to others. It is unfortunate that this lesson was not learned by some of our leaders in Annapolis.
