The Baltimore Sun’s recent editorial (“ Baltimore Co. teachers must read the room ,” June 12) misses the point. This is not about reading the room. It is about honoring contracts and keeping promises.

Baltimore County negotiated a three-year contract with teachers. Like any contract, this one reflects our values as a county and sends a signal to teachers we are recruiting and those in our system now — and the families who rely on them.

Now, just one year in, a new county executive wants to renege, citing financial hardship. This is crushing and has broad ramifications, far beyond this single fiscal year. At a time when 50% of teachers leave within the first five years, 50% have a part-time job and 70% are considering leaving in the next three years, breaking faith now sends a clear message — we will not support you.

To be clear, our county is staring down a crossroads, including the fact that 74% of our BCPS students live in poverty. Our success or failure will be decided in no small part by our decision right now — whether we will do the bare minimum to provide quality teachers for our kids, or whether we will bend out of convenience.

And while some unions accepted delayed compensation, that does not make it unreasonable for teachers to expect what they are owed. This is a three-year contract, and it should be enforced absent extraordinary circumstances, such as a global pandemic. Had the county simply followed past practice and allocated the majority of its annual spending increases to education, much — if not all — of this could have been avoided.

The county executive should introduce a supplemental budget bill to transfer funds to fully honor this contract.

Far from being reckless, fully funding this contract is not only responsible, it is essential to the future we all want for our county and the children it serves.

The writer is a former vice chair of the Baltimore County Board of Education and is a candidate for Baltimore County executive.

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