Savage inequalities,¹ a tale of two Maryland education budgets
Baltimore City and Montgomery County FY2020
Much has been written of economic inequality in the United States,² and how racial segregation, concentration of poverty and local tax financing of public education perpetuates American apartheid.
Let us reflect upon the data in microcosm, by comparing the tax base and education financing of Baltimore City and Montgomery County in 2020.
In some ways, the minority students of Baltimore City and Montgomery County are fortunate, as school districts are the same as county boundaries in Maryland. White enclaves cannot simply secede to form their own segregated school districts, as in many other states [link]. In other ways, the less overt intra-district zoning and race-based educational tracking are even more incidious.
It could be said that no where else in common discourse of American life is the schism between stated belief and individual action so jarring; that being a “good parent” is in apparent conflict with being a “good person.”
Takeaways
Baltimore City’s per pupil Title I allocation is 4x Montgomery County
Title I is a Department of Education program that allocates federal funding to schools with >35% low-income students. Baltimore City computes low income students by direct certification (eligibility for TANF or SNAP benefits). This measure is an under-count. Direct certification records more severe poverty than a metric like free and reduced lunch. Benefits eligibility also under-counts certain marginalized communities. [article, article, article]
Despite greater need, Baltimore City’s per pupil funding is 10% less than Montgomery County
- “Need” cannot be directly measured, so we use special education and Title I allotments as proxies for need. Both are much higher in Baltimore City.
Baltimore City makes greater local contributions to police than education
- Baltimore City, Police Budget: $536M
- Baltimore City, Education Local Contribution: $278M (of $1,162M total education budget)
Montgomery County’s per capita income tax revenue is 2.5x Baltimore City’s
The rates are the same (3.2%), so this gap is all income. Indeed, Montgomery County’s median income is 2.2x Baltimore City’s
Montgomery County and Baltimore City collect similar property taxes per capita — but Baltimore’s property tax rate is twice as high
Baltimore City spends 12% ($138M of $1,162M) of its education budget on charter schools
The word “charter” doesn’t even appear in Montgomery County school’s 60 page budget document.
Numbers
Sources
- FY2020 Baltimore CIty Budget executive summary
- FY2020–2025 Montgomery County Budget Summary
- FY2020 Baltimore City Schools
- FY2020 Montgomery County Schools
- US Census V2018 estimates, Baltimore City
- US Census V2018 estimates, Montgomery County
- Maryland local income tax rates
Footnotes
¹ “Savage inequalities” is the title of a 1991 book by Jonathan Kozol. Because the circumstance of one’s birth should not determine the quality of one’s education…and yet.
² “An Open Letter on School Choice in Baltimore City Public Schools”
