One month into her term, Kathy Klausmeier said she has no plans to be just a placeholder Baltimore County executive.

In her first formal interview since taking office, Klausmeier talked to WYPR’s John Lee about grappling with a difficult budget year.

For starters, the school system is asking for an almost 11% increase in spending. Klausmeier said it’s not happening.

“I go way back with the school system and we just have to say no,” Klausmeier said.

School Superintendent Myriam Rogers said the increase is needed for things like special education, Pre-K expansion and staff benefits, but Klausmeier countered that other agencies need money too.

“We have the police,” Klausmeier said. “We have the fire. We have the EMS. It’s not that I want to be stingy. But we just don’t have the money.”

Read the full story on WYPR.org, a media partner of The Baltimore Banner.