[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6674751,"mediaKeyId","2347563-3a049eed92972f1c08231c47ffce6f14","parentId",2347563,"title","School system adds buses as special-education transport requests rise; regional Eastern Shore program under active development","audioSeconds",2155,"startMs",2517000,"endMs",4672000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2347563-3a049eed92972f1c08231c47ffce6f14&start=2517&end=4672","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2347563-3a049eed92972f1c08231c47ffce6f14/thumbnail_2517000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6674751/Queen-Annes-County/Maryland/School-system-adds-buses-as-special-education-transport-requests-rise-regional-Eastern-Shore-program-under-active-development","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6674751-99d6be7faa2ccd79482e44ddfb7d0046/orig.mp4?Expires=1775626477&Signature=bwyNQmasiOP0BiX02xRLqkH8~6Jnk7h3U~-nj0SyDCWrGdwAxM7OONp6w31GQ1ei2hPJ6CugEuK5C1V4BwaRT-RFbpSjkML4xMCswCocUjy5xlVcur5W-ZQEX8o3PZAJwWG28drpOTccLP6lt7mlWuLeKGaYOOhLGesSELyKOlZHsmmt5BkqKoDIpI6FGoRH44Cim~LxoSaR7j3HZ6I31n8WcVXRnIJ4HTZ5DfP-8nKjT~EJRLd~QQXie1nD1yaH~6koUoUK7RGfexaMwe0kSEsLu6lnw9x6IhseF4sBWRLgK3B77BPv~hBS9c1MAhJbJLO7sDOzrYdingyjV40wlA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Queen Anne's County","date","2025-02-19T23:04:02.577Z","article","Queen Anne's County staff told the board Feb. 19 that special-education transportation requests have increased this school year, prompting both added bus resources and regional planning to reduce long out-of-county travel.

Dr. Kibler said the district has recorded 35 additional special-education transportation requests this school year and added two buses to its fleet to help meet demand. \"Just when I met with Mr. Murdoch this morning, we had, additional 3 students. So we're at 35 additional special education transportation requests for this current school year,\" she said.

Board members flagged the cost of transporting some students across the Bay Bridge to programs in other counties; staff said about five to six buses make daily trips across the bridge and that the district has about 24 buses total in the fleet. The long travel distances and required return trips create substantial transportation expense.

The board and staff described regional work through ESNEC (Eastern Shore Special Education Consortium). Dr. Kibler said ESNEC has hired a full-time director (Kelly Griffith) who is working with the Maryland State Department of Education and a consultant (Kennedy Krieger) to explore siting a specialized school on the Eastern Shore. \"They're looking at different sites to be able to bring a program here,\" she said, and board members discussed the value of joint letters or other outreach from Eastern Shore school boards to support that effort.

Ending: Staff said creating an in-region program would take time but could reduce future transportation costs and placements out of county; the board discussed coordinating a multi-district letter of support through ESNEC.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","QACPS Board of Education Meeting | 02.19.2025","oneSentenceSummary","The district reported 35 additional special-education transportation requests this school year, added two buses and described ongoing regional efforts (through ESNEC) to site a specialized program on the Eastern Shore to reduce long cross-bridge trips for some students.","taxTitle","Queen Anne's County, Maryland","taxId",59354,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6674755,"Board hears that staffing cuts or furlough days could be needed if funding falls short",692,608000,1300000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2347563-3a049eed92972f1c08231c47ffce6f14&start=608&end=1300","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2347563-3a049eed92972f1c08231c47ffce6f14/thumbnail_608000.jpg","/articles/6674755/Queen-Annes-County/Maryland/Board-hears-that-staffing-cuts-or-furlough-days-could-be-needed-if-funding-falls-short","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6674755-bb954371f1413dafabd92a577acf140d/orig.mp4?Expires=1775626477&Signature=IRhS7yw6227~KUSz~fWEDy-ICdrumexpANwTNB4a82paTbbUauggPmDMzWD3ldFfi1ibVnjEtGTmzxcJmomD1DsrA14-LclRmapIcbvJZCyG9XlXwuKvROY9YbnSlmtrN~fvzgX8HVuSCG8UmPAD64-qXquaTaRkCvPG6a9LIJKJDk97JcBsHDQlbGWfl6hxOejEmRj5560UrVkQqYfWpwOO2Jt5kOULccG2kty0r1FmU~FGo8ZAbliOirgVzygbAH0krtM48VKH7ZeWGpxUsa2eo5dQz5LpQOMvw~XgYITqIjM~bDFV5WV0HZHptcbIfqWqPrdlDHFfv4BTp4Clrg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Board members spent substantial time during the Feb. 19 budget work session asking how different funding outcomes would affect staff levels and classroom services.

Superintendent Dr. Kibler said last year's furlough days were a temporary measure and would need to be accounted for in the next fiscal year to avoid repeating them. She said the district is not basing next year's plan on attrition, though natural retirements and resignations are being counted in models: \"We're basically saying that we're not gonna use attrition rate at all. So if we do have some teachers leave, that would help the situation. Oh. But we're not basing it on that,\" she said.

Staff presented a simple planning marker that the district uses to estimate positions: about $100,000 per full position (roughly 10 positions per $1 million). Using that marker, the district estimated that an \"all-in\" scenario around $9.9 million would imply eliminating roughly 30 positions in the mid-sized scenarios discussed. Dr. Kibler and staff emphasized that cuts would come from across the district — central office, schools, support and certified staff — and that the district has already used hiring freezes, position control and other reductions to limit the number of furlough days experienced last year.

Board members asked for clarity on deadlines tied to personnel decisions: for conditional certificated staff the notification date was noted as May 1, and for tenured employees the date mentioned was June 15. Several board members asked for detailed, school-level active employee lists and enrollment-by-school breakdowns; staff said those documents were shared in the meeting folder and will be updated as needed.

Ending: Staff said they have already started building models that map funding scenarios to staffing outcomes and will continue revising those models weekly ahead of the Feb. 26 work session.","Board members discussed how different budget scenarios would translate into staffing reductions, how natural attrition and retirements are being counted, and the district's approach to position control; staff laid out rough estimates linking dollars to positions and described steps already taken to limit layoffs.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6674760,"Queen Anne's County school leaders recommend asking commissioners for full budget ask to avoid more furloughs",4996,389000,5385000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2347563-3a049eed92972f1c08231c47ffce6f14&start=389&end=5385","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2347563-3a049eed92972f1c08231c47ffce6f14/thumbnail_389000.jpg","/articles/6674760/Queen-Annes-County/Maryland/Queen-Annes-County-school-leaders-recommend-asking-commissioners-for-full-budget-ask-to-avoid-more-furloughs","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6674760-5f4b328bafda07380227a51e517a020b/orig.mp4?Expires=1775626477&Signature=d5~NFhzqMKvec2sbRDFxvPogliz0Ab9f3GSOzUStkOQyJ3wgI9jAjE2Q8MysQPvpZwlj~1Kz8skQXbx0FZk~ZqBmjkS-zNliFZ7l6dxVnR431teMfM~apVBEk0dWZGTfbPh3IzaCF2eWFj8mC1xcJ0AwzQ~pL0SUOpw-f6f-OejzZwp9Fv9KJIEpJEGFKylPWKMxHysJIsBS9KSk6lBBMj0~7FV1wycy5knlJZDDpMdXiwARy3Kx8ZAXCgA0OlNUO4wG2v-wMK4HTHmjOl7UqkZ-QIo~rfJYvjyxF1la08WRzrjYgVHeALiN-Tu75jYTCL7EMB71hNtElDkU4Qqupw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Queen Anne's County Board of Education members and senior staff met Feb. 19 for a budget work session in which Superintendent Dr. Kibler recommended the board press county commissioners for the full funding the system says it needs rather than rely on a flat allocation or a $5 million placeholder.

Dr. Kibler told the board she had prepared three options: flat funding (no additional county or state dollars), a $5,000,000 placeholder the commissioners have publicly committed to, and a “full funding” option that would cover the district’s stated needs going into the next fiscal year. “It would be my recommendation that the board would review that, ask some good questions about it, but would move forward with asking for what we need, to keep whole and moving into next year,” Dr. Kibler said.

The recommendation follows last year’s negotiations and county support: Dr. Kibler told the board that commissioners provided $6,200,000 to the schools in the current budget cycle (a $5,000,000 allocation plus an additional $1,200,000). Board members and staff repeatedly tied the local ask to a continuing shortfall from the state for elements of the Blueprint law, noting the district’s earlier projection of roughly $7,500,000 as an estimate of need and later references to larger “all-in” scenarios (discussed as about $9.9 million in the meeting materials).

Why it matters: Board members said the funding choice affects staffing, furloughs and programs. Dr. Kibler said last year’s furlough days were “a Band-Aid” that “didn’t fix the problem” and recommended budgeting to avoid repeating them. Board members urged asking for the full amount and preparing contingency plans if the state or county provide less than requested: “I don’t understand why we wouldn’t ask for what we need,” said one board member during the meeting.

Discussion also covered what parts of the proposed budget are increases versus full line-item totals (for example, an increase of $40,000 in the AP exam line), fixed cost drivers such as insurance and utilities, and how grant- or PTA-funded purchases differ from operating budget items. Dr. Kibler warned that some line-item trends required looking back beyond the COVID years to produce reliable baselines.

The board did not take a formal vote on the budget at the Feb. 19 work session. Staff said they will meet with county commissioners to share the board’s direction in advance of the Feb. 26 work session, and continued modeling of multiple budget scenarios is underway.

Ending: The Board scheduled a follow-up budget work session for Feb. 26; staff said they will continue refining models and meet with commissioners next week to present the board’s direction.","At a Feb. 19 budget work session, Superintendent Dr. Kibler presented three budget options — including a $5 million placeholder from county commissioners and a full funding request — and recommended the board ask for full funding to avoid additional furlough days and cover state shortfalls tied to the Blueprint law.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

School system adds buses as special-education transport requests rise; regional Eastern Shore program under active development

Board hears that staffing cuts or furlough days could be needed if funding falls short

Queen Anne's County school leaders recommend asking commissioners for full budget ask to avoid more furloughs