BCPS presents FY‑26 budget with $126 million operating gap as public urges full funding for special education and pre‑K

Vice Chair Robin Harvey presided over the Board of Education of Baltimore County meeting on Jan. 28, where Superintendent Dr. Rogers presented the proposed fiscal year 2026 operating budget and described a $126,000,000 increase over the FY‑25 adjusted general fund — a 6.5 percent change.

The superintendent said the request reflects salary and benefits, special education needs, rising utility and other operating costs, and capital requirements, and summarized reductions and efficiencies the district has already identified. “That is how we get to the $100,000,000 request that we're making to our county funding partners,” Dr. Rogers said, describing the portion of the request she said the district will ask the county to cover.

Why it matters: speakers at the board meeting said the superintendent’s proposal must be fully funded to maintain gains in student outcomes and to meet rising service needs. Dozens of public commenters, representing school‑affiliated committees, parent groups, unions and neighborhood organizations, pressed the board to protect funding for special education, full‑day pre‑K, multilingual learner services, community schools and transportation.

Special education was the most frequently cited concern. Megan Stewart Sikking, a longtime special‑education advocate and…