Carroll County schools face $3.6 million shortfall; superintendent proposes cuts including Outdoor School closure

WESTMINSTER, Md. — At a Jan. 29 special meeting of the Carroll County Public Schools Board of Education, Superintendent Dr. McCabe presented a proposed fiscal 2026 operating budget that she said leaves the district with a structural shortfall of $3.6 million and forces program and staffing reductions.

"As we present the budget this evening, you will see that we find ourselves in a very challenging position," Superintendent Dr. McCabe told the board. Her presentation, which the board scheduled as a special meeting to allow earlier public hearings, laid out revenue updates, projected expenditure increases, and a series of proposed reductions to bring the operating budget into balance.

Why it matters: The district faces both lower-than-expected flexible state aid and inflationary cost increases. Dr. McCabe and staff said the combination reduces discretionary funding and will constrain the board’s ability to honor multi-year employee compensation commitments, expand programs or make new investments for FY26.

State and local revenue outlook: Mr. Burke, a district budget staff member, said the county has built $7,200,000 into local revenues for FY26 and that updates to the governor’s budget reduced the district’s most-flexible state aid (the foundation) from earlier estimates. "When we look at our projected state revenue and foundation, the $2,100,000 along with the county planned amount there, our request of 7.2, we come to a total increase in projected revenue of $9,300,000," Mr. Burke said. He added the district now projects a $12,900,000 increase in expenditures for FY26, producing a gap of about…