Baltimore County teachers protest over promised raises amid budget shortfalls

Dozens of Baltimore County teachers protested on Tuesday, urging school and county officials to honor a three-year contract that promised annual salary increases, which are now at risk due to budget constraints.

The demonstrations, organized by the Teachers Association of Baltimore County (TABCO), took place at three major intersections, including Liberty and Milford Mill roads. 

Educators held signs and voiced frustrations over what they say is a broken promise to fund their agreed-upon raises.

The school district sought millions more than what they were granted by the county to fulfill the agreement. Now that the county's budget is finalized, the school district is seeking alternative funding and may need to reopen negotiations with the union.

"Everybody's frustrated, teachers are angry," said Cindy Sexton, president of the Teachers Association of Baltimore County. "I go through the county, and you can see some schools are holding up signs outside. You know they want the agreed-upon money that we were guaranteed.  Other counties around us are doing a better job and making better offers."

Sexton said teachers were blindsided when district leaders called them back to the negotiating table, despite having approved the raises last year.

"That three-year deal was so historic, and everybody was so happy," Sexton said. "Here we are, and we're still struggling to get it funded. It's very frustrating."

The original agreement included a 5% raise for educators this year. But following federal and state funding cuts, Baltimore County Public Schools initially offered just a 1.5% increase. Superintendent Dr. Myriam Rogers revised the figure to 2.5% last Friday, though the offer remains short of what teachers expected.

"I don't know any other contract that a person signs and then, partway through, they're told, 'Oh, we're only going to meet you halfway,'" Sexton said.

Impact of teacher recruitment and retention

TABCO leaders argue that underfunding teacher salaries not only violates the spirit of the agreement but also hinders the district's ability to attract and retain quality educators.

"Other counties around us are doing a better job and making better offers," Sexton said. "Nobody goes into education to become rich, but we deserve what was guaranteed. Many of us have worked second or third jobs throughout our careers."

Sexton is scheduled to speak before the Baltimore County Council Tuesday evening to continue her push for the full 5% raise to be restored.

"My message to educators is to take care of your students and take care of yourselves," Sexton said. "Our own mental health is just as important as anything else."

Negotiations between the school district and the teachers' union are ongoing.

Where will the cuts come from?

Last week, Baltimore County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Myriam Rogers said the district encountered an unexpected level of financial uncertainty due to tight resources.

In an email, Rogers outlined plans for cost-saving measures, which included eliminating some supervisory positions in the central office, extending a hiring freeze for non-school building roles, cutting $14 million from supplies and materials, and reducing division and department budgets.

The county council will continue reviewing the proposed budget, with a final decision expected by the end of May.