Carroll County school board asks commissioners for $13 million and $44 million to blunt Blueprint-driven cuts

Tyra Battaglia, president of the Carroll County Board of Education, presided over a Feb. 18 special meeting at which the board voted to ask the county commissioners for two supplemental amounts: $13,000,000 to shore up the district’s FY26 unrestricted operating request and $44,000,000 to mitigate program and staffing changes tied to the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future. Both motions passed 3–2; the board’s student representative voted with the majority.

The requests must be transmitted to the commissioners by March 1 as part of the board’s FY26 budget submission. Superintendent Dr. McCabe told the board that the changes mandated by the Blueprint statutes require re‑allocating existing funds rather than cutting overall revenue: “Combined, they total $44,000,000 that need to be reallocated or spent differently on compensatory ed and ML student services,” he said, referring to the district’s compensatory and multilingual programs.

Why it matters: Board members described the decision as urgent because the district must submit categorical totals to the county by law and because the Blueprint formulas restrict how certain state funds may be spent. Board members, parents and staff told the board that the proposed reorganizations will eliminate multiple specialized instructional positions and could reduce services at Tier 1 schools unless offset by new funds.

Discussion and dissents

Several board members expressed strong objections to the staffing and program reductions outlined in the Blueprint compliance plan and the FY26 balancing options. Board member Dr. Malvo said he “will not vote in favor of any budget that cuts outdoor school.” Board member Mr. Wessler warned that the Blueprint changes were “bringing down achievement” and would increase class sizes: “This is what equity gives you, folks. It brings down achievement. It increases class sizes,” he said.

A board member who described a recent personal case study of a struggling reader urged commissioners to provide funds to avoid eliminating reading supports. That speaker listed specific staffing reductions the board says would occur without additional county money: elimination of 15 reading specialists, 7 elementary interventionists, 15 math resource teachers, 14 media specialists, 22 media clerks, and several other central and school‑level positions. The speaker urged a $13,000,000 infusion to cover utilities, student devices and contract obligations and a separate $44,000,000 to make the district whole under Blueprint reallocation requirements.

Legal and fiscal context

Superintendent Dr. McCabe and staff emphasized that the Blueprint funding law and a joint policy from the Accountability and Implementation Board and the Maryland State Board of Education (joint policy No. 2) set timelines and formulas the district must meet; the board has three years under that joint policy to reach fiscal compliance, staff said. The board’s legal counsel told members the district likely lacks a viable legal basis to sue the state to halt Blueprint implementation.

Board members also heard county fiscal figures cited during the meeting: a county presentation reported a projected year‑end surplus of $39,000,000 and an unassigned fund balance of about $69,000,000. Board members debated whether using county reserves to offset Blueprint consequences would be one‑time relief or a repeating obligation; several members said the $44,000,000 request would likely need to be renewed annually unless state law changes.

Votes and formal actions

• Motion to request $13,000,000 from the county commissioners for the FY26 operating budget (motion made from the dais, seconded by Dr. Dorsey). Vote: 3 in favor (Tyra Battaglia, Dr. Dorsey, student representative Chloe Zimmer), 2 opposed (Mr. Whistler, Dr. Malvo). Outcome: approved.

• Motion to request an additional $44,000,000 from county commissioners to address Blueprint fiscal compliance gaps (moved from the dais, seconded by Dr. Dorsey). Vote: 3 in favor (Tyra Battaglia, Dr. Dorsey, Chloe Zimmer), 2 opposed (Mr. Whistler, Dr. Malvo). Outcome: approved.

• Motion to adopt major categorical totals for the FY26 operating request (staff presented totals consistent with the motions above). Vote: 3 in favor (Tyra Battaglia, Dr. Dorsey, Chloe Zimmer), 2 opposed (Mr. Whistler, Dr. Malvo). Outcome: approved; the board directed staff to finalize categorical totals for submission.

• Motion to approve the food service budget. Vote: unanimous. Outcome: approved.

• Motion to approve the debt service budget. Vote: unanimous. Outcome: approved.

What the votes do and next steps

The board’s votes authorize staff to submit FY26 categorical totals and two supplemental funding requests to the Carroll County commissioners by the March 1 submission deadline. Commissioners will review the school board’s request alongside other county spending priorities and are expected to respond by May, at which point the board said it will reconcile final revenue and may revisit categorical totals. Superintendent McCabe told members that even if commissioners provide additional funds, some Blueprint reallocation details would require further analysis before finalizing how those dollars would be distributed across schools.

Substantive concerns raised but not resolved at the meeting included whether the county can sustainably fund the requested sums year after year and how the Blueprint formulas will change staffing and services at Tier 1 through Tier 4 schools. Several board members asked staff to return with more detailed cost‑saving alternatives and implementation plans if the county does not provide the requested amounts.

The board adjourned after completing the votes; staff will post final documentation and the recorded meeting on the Carroll County Public Schools website.