Calvert County commissioners approve $12.47 million correction to FY2025 school appropriation

The Calvert County Board of Commissioners on April 1 approved a budget amendment that allocates $12,469,199 to the Board of Education for Calvert County Public Schools, closing a gap created after an emergency action last June.

Acting Deputy Director of Accounting Caleb Brannon told the commission the department of finance and budget recommended the allocation and described the proposed funding sources: roughly $8 million from prior-year fund balance, $1.5 million from the Board of Education OPEB contribution, and about $2.9 million from additional funds. Brannon said the action would "legalize our budget last year and the action that we took."

The board held a public hearing on the item; no members of the public spoke. After closing the record, a motion to approve and adopt resolution and budget amendment BA2025-000356 carried with all commissioners voting aye.

The amendment was presented as a corrective step following an emergency meeting on June 12, 2024, convened after the superintendent informed the county that teachers and support staff would need to be laid off because of a budget deficit. The board previously voted that evening to increase the allocation for the schools; the April 1 action formally incorporated that increase into the county's fiscal 2025 appropriation.

Commissioners asked no substantive follow-up questions during the April 1 meeting. The record of the public hearing was closed before the final vote and the resolution was adopted.

The budget amendment text and supporting materials are part of the county’s public record; Brannon said the department had made the recommendation after coordinating with the superintendent and school system staff.