Graduations! The Budget! It has been a busy two weeks attending graduations and putting the final touches on the FY2020 budget. 

First, the local graduations: I was able to attend the graduations at Cedar Lane School, Howard County Community College, as well as Wilde Lake and River Hill High Schools. Each ceremony was unique and moving; I loved seeing the happy smiles on the faces of those graduating. I do have to take this moment to honor one special graduate: my daughter, Alyssa, who graduated from Tulane two weeks ago with a degree in Public Health and Environmental Biology. A big thank you to the Howard County School System and all of her teachers, from first grade through 12th, who did such a great job of preparing her for a rigorous academic experience.

After weeks of budget hearings during which time we reviewed the detailed budget for each department in the County, as well as the school district, we voted on the final version last Wednesday. Details of the various aspects of the budget are below. During the final days before the budget vote, Councilmember Walsh and I submitted an amendment to increase funding for the school system by $8 million. Years of underfunding has created chronic budget shortages and our amendment attempted to close some of that gap. We were unsuccessful in our quest for the full $8 million but were able to secure an additional $2 million for instruction and other school-system needs.