The Board of Education voted (7-4) during a four-hour meeting on Feb. 24 to approve a $2.495 billion budget for Baltimore County Public Schools’ 2027 fiscal year, which begins July 1. According to a BCPS press release, the budget request includes an almost $61 million increase over the current general fund budget, with much of the additional money going to support pay raises for teachers and staff.
Superintendent Myriam Rogers addressed challenges in putting together the system’s budget when revenue is not keeping pace with costs. “Part of what is contributing to the [challenging] fiscal landscape, in addition to the reductions and changes that we’ve seen at the federal, local and state level, is that increases are not keeping up with the costs,” she said. Student enrollment has decreased since the COVID pandemic, Rogers explained, and “every formula that allocates funding to school systems is based on the number of students.” BCPS is the state’s third largest school system, with roughly 108,000 students enrolled.
As with most budgets, much of the spending goes toward labor costs. Such is the case with the FY2027 budget. Rogers said 82 cents of every dollar is being spent on staff salaries and benefits. The remaining 18 cents funds schools and offices. Still, despite a $47 million funding gap for compensation alone, BCPS will honor the 3-year compensation package negotiated with unions.
According to BCPS officials, other key investments are focused on improving education outcomes. Spending highlights include adding more than 2,000 full-day prekindergarten seats; a new K-12 literacy and English language development curriculum; and additional teachers, paraeducators and other staff for the Individualized Education Program (IEP). There will be more safety assistants and mental health resources for students, and new safety technology will be leveraged. BCPS is expanding the community school model with wraparound services provided to 110 schools, and some 11 major school construction projects are being completed.
School Board Chair Jane Lichter recognized the superintendent and staff’s efforts to fund school system’s priorities in the upcoming year. “The Board reviewed Dr. Rogers’ proposed budget request in detail, carefully examining outlined investments and system expenditures to identify potential savings that could be used to help preserve class sizes and staffing allocations, decrease position reductions, and keep resources closest to our schools,” Lichter said in a statement. “Board members submitted more than 130 questions to staff, reviewed stakeholder feedback, and held robust discussions throughout the budget process.”
The Feb. 24 budget discussion, which lasted almost three hours, sometimes got in the weeds with numerous questions and multiple amendments related to eliminating and/or restoring positions, expanding staff responsibilities, merging offices, and even pausing the budget adoption to consider recommendations from the county auditor. Initially, the motion to adopt the budget didn’t receive the required seven favorable votes. After the vote was retaken, Emory Young, an appointed school board member, changed his vote to yes, and the budget was adopted 7-4.
Also voting in favor of the budget were board chair Jane Litcher (elected, District 2), vice chair Robin Harvey (elected, District 1), Tiffany Frempong (appointed, member at large), Foresight Ogungbe (student member), Christina Pumphrey (elected, District 6), and Brenda Savoy (elected, District 4). Voting no were Maggie Domanowski (elected, District 3), Felicia Stolusky (appointed, member at large), Julie Henn (elected, District 5) and Rob McMillion (elected, District 7).
The Board’s budget request now goes to Baltimore County Executive Katherine Klausmeier for review and consideration for her April county budget proposal, followed by the County Council’s vote to adopt the budget in May.
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