Anne Arundel County Council approves FY2024 budget which includes pay raise for teachers

BALTIMORE - The Anne Arundel County Council approved County Executive Steuart Pittman's Fiscal Year 2024 budget Wednesday.

The Council voted 6-1 in favor of the budget.

"The process that led to the passage of this budget was collaborative, nonpartisan, and driven by shared values," County Executive Steuart Pittman said. "The final product sets our county up for future economic challenges, while investing in our children, our families, our environment, and the local institutions that deliver essential services. I want to thank the Council, the auditor, and my budget team for a job well done."

The FY24 budget fully funds the Board of Education's compensation package for Anne Arundel County Public Schools (AACPS) employees. This includes an 8 percent pay increase for all units, a $5/day raise for substitutes, a 10 percent COLA for contract bus drivers, and a $2,000 bonus for special educators. 

The budget also provides funding to raise starting teacher salaries to $58,161, allowing Anne Arundel County Public Schools to address the urgent need to fill vacant positions. 

"This year's budget puts us on a path to meet our needs for our schools, our police, and our firefighters," County Council Chair Pete Smith (District 1) said. "I'm also thankful that our residents are getting vital capital investments like the Brooklyn Park Community Center and the Severn-Harman Pedestrian Network."

"Today we made critical down payments on our schools, our Housing Trust Fund, our public safety," Council Vice Chair Allison Pickard (District 2) said. "Our District 2 residents will see much needed investments in CAT North, Old Mill Middle North, along with the Glen Burnie Library and the North Arundel Swim Center."

The budget adds new police, firefighter, and sheriff positions while investing in reentry work at the Ordnance Road Correctional facility. The budget funds a new Joint 911 Operations Center, new fire stations at Cape St. Claire and Jessup, and a Police Special Operations Facility and Real-Time Fusion Center.