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Commissioners approve St. Mary’s schools’ FY2015 budget; defer decision on FY2014 shortfall until actuals are final
Summary
The Board of County Commissioners approved the St. Mary’s County Public Schools FY2015 budgets on May 27 and instructed staff to delay any decision on the estimated FY2014 shortfall until after final year‑end financials and county revenue distributions are known.
The St. Mary’s County Board of County Commissioners on May 27 approved the St. Mary’s County Public Schools’ fiscal year 2015 budgets — operating, capital and restricted funds — after a multi‑hour review of the school system’s FY2014 variances and FY2015 adjustments.
Commissioners approved the FY2015 package that reflected the supplemental county funding previously allocated and agreed to execute the required Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) certification forms to finalize the submission. County finance staff and school officials agreed on a modest $44,573 reclassification between administrative and instructional categories before the certification.
At the same meeting, the board declined to finalize the school system’s request to cover an estimated FY2014 shortfall immediately. Instead, commissioners adopted the staff recommendation to defer any final appropriation for FY2014 deficits until after FY2014 actuals are closed and county income tax distributions are finalized in the late summer. Commissioners said waiting until August/September will allow both sides to work from final revenue and expense numbers before using fund balance, OPEB reserves or emergency county funds.
School finance and operations details
County Finance Director Elaine Kramer summarized FY2014 variances, including higher than expected electricity and snow‑removal costs and temporary staffing and contracted therapist overruns in special education. The Board of Education reduced FY2015 full‑time equivalent positions by a net of about 35.5 FTEs (the submission shows several category shifts: added classroom teachers in some grades, reductions in instructional resource teachers and paraeducators in others) and adjusted health‑care reserve levels to reflect CareFirst estimates.
Superintendent (St. Mary’s County Public Schools) said the FY2015 budget is balanced within the county allocation and stressed that principals will have flexibility to staff schools under a refined, school‑based staffing model.
Cash flow and next steps
Commissioners directed county finance staff to continue working with the Board of Education to smooth cash‑flow for capital projects and operational needs, including making some capital project reimbursements available earlier to avoid vendor payment delays. They also authorized Commissioner President Russell to sign MSDE excludable‑cost forms (the county is seeking MSDE approval for certain OPEB and reserve items that affect future maintenance‑of‑effort calculations).
The board asked school officials to return with final FY2014 actuals and an updated OPEB funding plan; once final figures are known, the commissioners said they will consider any targeted, limited county support needed to address the actual FY2014 shortfall.
