PGCPS officials say Maryland bill delays and oversight shifts will cut FY26 revenues and pause community‑school grants

Prince George’s County Public Schools officials warned Feb. 6 that changes in a Maryland Senate bill implementing parts of the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future would reduce the district’s state revenue for fiscal 2026 and delay several programmatic funding streams.

The change in the foundation per‑pupil amount and a multi‑year pause on elements of the Blueprint’s collaborative‑planning and community‑school grants, together with a shift of oversight to the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE), will lower Prince George’s County’s unrestricted state and local revenue by about $22,000,000 for FY26, Chief Howell told the board.

Why it matters: The foundation amount is the base per‑pupil figure that underpins other targeted funds (for compensatory education, multilingual learners and special education). Chief Howell said a reduction in the foundation will ripple into those targeted allocations and to school budgets, and several board members and former board member Alvin Thornton urged a public response to protect the long‑term integrity of the Blueprint.

What the district leaders said

Robin Welsh, who opened the committee’s legislative update, summarized the bill’s main components as presented to the committee. She told members that the bill reduces or delays several expected increases under the Blueprint, moves oversight and some administrative funds to MSDE, and authorizes MSDE to set requirements for community‑school implementation plans and to withhold funds for noncompliance.

Chief Howell (identified in the meeting as Chief Howell) said the district is still modeling the out‑year effects but that for FY26 the combined impact on foundation,…