As reported by the Gazette, Montgomery County’s Annapolis delegation and local elected officials are coming together in opposition to the teacher pension shift proposed in Governor O’Malley’s FY 2013 budget.  School officials are also concerned that a shift could affect class size and teacher salaries.

County Council President Roger Berliner (D-Dist. 1) of Potomac, County Executive Isiah Leggett (D) and members of the delegation are meeting weekly to discuss how to argue against the proposal in Annapolis.

“We are prepared to fight this,” Leggett said. “This is a serious matter for the county, I’m not sure it gets more serious.”

Montgomery County has closed more than $2 billion in funding gaps during the past five years, Leggett said. Trimming more spending from areas already cut is nearly impossible.

Financially, the status quo is beneficial to Montgomery County, which has the largest school system in the state as well as the fastest growing, said Annapolis delegation chairman Del. Brian J. Feldman, (D-Dist. 15) of Potomac.

“We do not want a change to the current arrangement,” he said. “We will push back on any attempt to change that.”