Carroll schools await AIB decision after board, community push for waiver to ease Blueprint funding shortfall

Carroll County Public Schools officials told the Board of Education on April 9 that an administrative hearing on the district’s waiver request under the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future has been scheduled and that community members should weigh in before that April 17 oral argument.

Dr. McCabe, superintendent, told the board, “we have been informed that the AIB has scheduled our oral argument on our waiver request for 01:00PM on April 17.” The superintendent said the waiver aims to avoid abrupt staffing and program cuts while the county and state work through long‑term funding solutions.

The board and staff framed the waiver as part of a multi‑front effort with local elected officials and legislators in Annapolis. Board member Dr. Malvo said the county’s collective response "used our voice to negotiate flexibility with blueprint mandates" and credited community pressure for creating a more favorable negotiating position. Board members repeatedly urged residents to review the district’s public waiver submission and to contact AIB members before the scheduled argument.

Why it matters: Board members said the waiver would buy time to avoid immediate layoffs and program reductions they said would result from a roughly $44 million gap tied to Blueprint implementation. The county commissioners made a preliminary motion to fund the school system at $13,000,000; state actions during the General Assembly session added roughly $2.3 million to the county’s expected FY26 aid, board members said, but gaps remain.

Details from the meeting: Staff and board members traced recent steps: the district posted a public waiver submission online on April 1; the superintendent described outreach to AIB members and planned a community email asking residents to send support messages before April 17. Board members described that earlier budget options—such as asking the county for a larger one‑time sum—would have triggered a new Maintenance of Effort baseline and effectively required matching funds in subsequent years.

Public reaction and context: Several members of the public and union leaders addressed the board during public comment to urge support for the waiver and continued community advocacy. Cindy Porter, president of CASE and a paraprofessional, thanked the board and county leaders for cross‑party cooperation and noted that educators and families are under stress as possible staffing changes loom.

What happens next: The district will make its case to the Maryland Accountability and Implementation Board on April 17; board members said they will continue local lobbying and invited residents to contact AIB members and county commissioners. The district also said it will monitor future state legislative changes to Blueprint, including phased timing and targeted foundation adjustments.

Ending: Board members framed the waiver as a pause—an opportunity to seek a long‑term, county‑level plan to fund Blueprint obligations without sudden cuts to services, then returned the meeting to regular business.