St. Mary's County Public Schools presents superintendent's proposed $293.2 million FY2026 budget
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Summary
At a work session, St. Mary's County Public Schools staff outlined a superintendent-recommended FY2026 operating budget of $293.2 million that emphasizes negotiated pay increases, transportation support and fixed-charge growth while reducing one-time textbook spending and using less fund balance.
The St. Mary's County Board of Education held a work session on the superintendent's proposed fiscal year 2026 budget, during which district staff presented a recommended operating budget of $293.2 million and detailed program- and category-level changes. Miss McCourt, who led the presentation, said the priority of the budget is "the instruction of those students" and that the plan focuses on funding negotiated agreements and core student services.
The budget proposal emphasizes employee compensation and benefits, transportation supports and fixed charges. Highlights presented to the board include a $3.1 million (3.1%) increase in instructional salaries and wages to cover negotiated agreements; a $1.6 million (2.3%) increase in fixed charges largely for Social Security, health insurance and workers' compensation; and a $126,000 (0.5%) increase for student transportation that preserves a bus driver retention stipend and raises contracted driver and attendant hourly rates. Special education shows a requested increase of $1.1 million (4.8%). Miss McCourt told the board that those negotiated packages include across-the-board step and cost-of-living adjustments and new pay scales for certain employee groups.
Staff reviewed reductions and reallocations alongside increases. The district proposes a roughly $1.9 million (about 40%) reduction in textbooks and instructional supplies and no allocation of fund balance for textbook purchases in FY2026; the presentation explains the district will stop providing take-home devices to kindergarten and first-grade students and will continue device refresh and reuse so second grade and above retain take-home access. The budget document also shows a net reduction of 10 positions systemwide, yielding recurring savings the presentation estimated at about $700,000.
District staff answered board questions about hiring challenges, program specifics and contracts. Dr. Farrell reported roughly 5.9 full-time-equivalent positions have been vacant two years or more, including a part-time instructional para at Ridge Elementary, two school psychologist positions, one occupational therapist, a 0.4 speech-language pathologist, a bus driver and a bus assistant; in the interim, contracted psychologists are being used while recruitment continues. Staff explained that some previously district-handled maintenance tasks (for example, HVAC filter changes and coil cleaning) are now provided under preventative maintenance contracts that combine materials and labor and therefore move spending from supply accounts into contracted services.
Board members and staff discussed technology and classroom screen time. The presentation noted recycled devices will be used in lower elementary classrooms and that district guidance encourages limited, center-based computer activities for kindergarten through second grade rather than daily take-home devices. On student health services, the presentation confirmed purchases of vision screening equipment and that restricted grant funding (identified as a "Stronger Connections" grant in the presentation) supports some social worker and nurse positions; staff said no federal funds flow into the system's unrestricted student health fund.
The presenter outlined revenue assumptions and the timeline. The superintendent's recommended operating request relies on a $5.3 million increase in local funding (a 4% request to the county), a projected $4.3 million increase in state funding based on current law, a $19,000 federal increase and other revenue/interest of roughly $714,000. The presentation noted the FY2026 recommended budget reduces planned use of district fund balance compared with FY2025. Miss McCourt said a public hearing on the proposed budget will be held next week; the board will consider a motion on Feb. 5 to request submission of the recommended operating budget to the county commissioners. The county commissioners' public hearing is scheduled for April 22 at Leonardtown High School, with county direction expected May 20 and the board's final adoption May 21.
The work session included category-level detail across administration, mid-level administration, instructional salaries, textbooks and instructional supplies, other instructional costs, special education, student personnel, student health services, student transportation, operations and plant, maintenance, fixed charges and capital outlay. Staff repeatedly told the board that the FY2026 book reflects account-level actuals and allocations and that several line-item differences from prior-year publications reflect transfers and in-year adjustments rather than new recurring commitments.
The board did not take a formal vote at the work session; staff closed by inviting continued review ahead of the scheduled public hearing and the board's subsequent February action to forward the recommended operating budget to the county.
