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Board approves FY26 operating, food service, debt and capital budgets as county funding holds
Summary
On May 14 the Carroll County Board of Education approved the district’s FY26 operating budget by state-required categories, plus the food services, debt service and capital improvement totals. Board members noted preliminary county funding commitments that staff say will allow agreed salary increases and keep certain programs in place.
The Carroll County Board of Education voted unanimously May 14 to approve the district’s fiscal 2026 operating budget by the categorical totals required under state law, along with the food service fund, debt service fund and the final Capital Improvement Program totals.
“By state law, the board must approve our annual operating budget by the major categorical totals contained in state law,” Superintendent McCabe told the board before members voted. Board members cast unanimous aye votes on the operating fund, the food services budget (a self-supporting fund), the debt-service total and the CIP project totals.
Why it matters: Board members said county budget actions provide the funding floor for district plans. Board member Miss Zimmer thanked the county commissioners for preliminarily agreeing to fund Carroll County Public Schools “$5,800,000 above the promised increase in ongoing funds for fiscal year 2026,” a funding commitment the board said will help cover negotiated salary agreements, maintain outdoor school programs, sustain one-to-one technology in grades 3–5 and prevent using fund balance for rising utility costs.
Details: - The food service fund was approved as a self-supporting budget that relies on meal sales and federal reimbursements. - The debt service total — the county’s payment for school construction bonds — was approved; votes acknowledged state and county processes set that figure. - The board adopted the final CIP project totals reflecting actions by the General Assembly and the county.
Other approvals during the meeting included the transportation reimbursement formula (used to pay contracted bus operators), a special-education staffing plan required by the Maryland State Department of Education, and several procurement awards for emergency HVAC rentals and food-service equipment. All actions were approved by unanimous vote.
The Board set its next regular meeting for June 11 and emphasized that the district and county remain in close communication about funding and capital-timing questions raised by recent state bond-rating changes.
