“This process is proof positive of the value of continued conversations, collaborative hard work, and passionate public input. The supplemental operating and capital budget appropriations by the County Executive and the Herculean efforts of the County Council have resulted in our students and our school system being in a much better place heading into the next academic year than we were when the County Executive’s budget proposal was first presented. We are going to enter the new year with more than 80 additional teachers to address the majority of our enrollment growth for next year, increased staffing for social and emotional supports for students, enhanced school security, and the launch of sorely needed renovation projects at Edgewater, Tyler Heights, and Richard Henry Lee elementary schools. Additionally, we will be able to expand our highly successful Triple-E program to schools in the Annapolis cluster and launch a new early education center in South County. These are huge wins for our students, accomplished without detracting from other necessary areas of the county budget.”