PGCPS presents FY26 operating budget amid state aid changes; county council presses for clarity on fund balance and charter allocations

Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) officials presented the proposed FY2026 operating budget to the county council’s Education, Workforce and Development Committee and described a budget shaped by changes in state aid, flat overall enrollment and substantial uncertainty from expiring federal grants.

"We have to work collectively to to serve the students and and families of Prince George's County," Superintendent House told the committee, introducing finance staff and priority areas for next year.

Chief Financial Officer Lisa Howe outlined the high-level revenue picture and key expenditure drivers. She said the district’s requested unrestricted revenue had been updated after the governor released state aid numbers, producing a roughly $17 million higher state-aid line driven by a slightly larger count in multilingual learners and students with disabilities. Howe also stressed the largest year-over-year change is on the federal side — she said federal (COVID-era) relief grants are expiring and will reduce federal revenue in FY26 unless reimbursed or replaced. “The largest decrease or change that you see here is on the federal side, and that's primarily due to the expiration of our COVID relief grants,” Howe said.

Howe reported the district anticipates a FY2026 use of fund balance (drawdown) and described the existing fund balance as already committed in part to prior year purchase orders and the district’s multi-year stabilization strategy. She said PGCPS had used fund balance intentionally during the rollout of the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future and…