Anne Arundel School Employees Get Furlough Day Back

ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY, Md. - WBALTV.com

Thousands of Anne Arundel County school employees who agreed over the summer to take time off without pay are getting one of those furlough days back.

Almost four months after imposing furlough days on the county’s 10,000 school employees to trim $40 million from the budget, the school board voted to change its mind and restore one of those furlough days, district officials said.

The decision was welcomed news for school employees already feeling the pinch.

“I lost five days, so one day is wonderful. I appreciate that they could find that money,” said district employee Dr. Barbara Schwartz.

School officials said the decision was always an option but cost-cutting measures made the difference.

“We've tightened the screws. We have had a rolling hiring freeze on non-classroom positions -- we have extended that freeze. We've had some turnover and we've lengthened the gap in the time that we fill positions,” said county schools spokesman Bob Mosier.

Tim Mennuti, the head of the county's teachers union, said it wasn't quite that simple. He said the union played a hand in helping the school board find those extra dollars and believes there could be more from where those dollars came.

“We're very, very interested in continuing to monitor on a daily basis the funding situation for the Board of Education to make sure that, as the superintendent has said, there is equal sacrifice,” Mennuti said.

The furlough change will cost the district about $2.5 million.

Aside from furloughs, school system employees are already going this year without pay raises.

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