Garrett County Public Schools previews FY26 budget; proposes 5% salary increase and new programs including driver's education and culinary arts

Garrett County Public Schools staff presented priorities for the fiscal year 2026 budget at a March budget work session at Northern Middle School, saying the plan includes a proposed 5% salary increase for employees, expanded programming at the secondary level, and targeted summer interventions while cautioning that final allocations depend on state funding.

Dr. McCartney (staff member) told the Board the draft budget is centered on negotiated contract obligations and the system's goals of rigorous coursework, highly qualified staff and community partnerships. "We are looking at a 5% salary increase for all of our employees," Dr. McCartney said, adding the proposal aligns with efforts to reach a $60,000 starting teacher salary.

The superintendent presentation said the draft also assumes a 2% increase in health insurance costs and called for additional transportation funding. "Transportation is usually underfunded by the state to the tune of about a million dollars," a staff presenter said, noting the district's transportation costs have risen and federal COVID relief used in prior years is no longer available.

Nut graf: School leaders outlined specific program additions and materials requests they want funded if state and local resources allow, while repeatedly noting the district awaits updated state aid figures after the Maryland legislative session.

Key program and materials proposals

- Driver's education: The district proposed contracting with a local driving-school vendor to offer an elective driver's-education course at the secondary level. The proposal is budgeted at $50,000 for next year and is expected to serve about 20 students in a phased rollout beginning with seniors. The driving provider would assume insurance and vehicle-liability responsibilities, and driving hours would primarily occur during the school day.

- Culinary arts at Northern High School: The district plans to add a culinary arts program at the Northern High campus using existing space (the former home-ec room) for next year and seek CTE Perkins grant funds to purchase equipment; long-term hopes include a remodeled kitchen. Staff said internships or work-based credit would be handled through the system's work-based learning program.

- Expanded electives: Administrators said principals have assembled roughly a dozen elective courses (a "baker's dozen," one board member joked) across the two high schools, with offerings dependent on student interest and teacher availability.

- Summer programming and credit recovery: The budget includes about $75,000 of local money for summer programming targeted primarily at grades 2-5, braided with Title I and community schools funding; schools will design programs based on local needs and community-school needs assessments. District staff said programs will likely run 4 to 6 weeks (with some messaging also referencing 12 to 16 program days) and be targeted by invitation to students most in need, with some open days if capacity allows. The district will provide transportation and lunch on a case-by-case basis. For high-school students, the district plans to continue credit recovery using Edgenuity (an MSDE-approved online program), which can be completed in school or at home when appropriate.

- Instructional materials and counseling supports: The proposed budget includes roughly $93,000 for science materials for grades 6-8, about $600,000 for English language arts materials (a multi-year plan that will not fully cover preK-5 in FY26 and will require more funding in FY27), and $32,000 for social-emotional learning/counseling materials. Staff said some of the counseling materials might be covered through an available grant.

Capital projects and staffing

District staff reviewed ongoing capital work: completion of the new Bradford School (preK-6) is on track for a mid-year move next year, and partial roof replacements at Northern High School and Southern Garrett High School remain on the capital-improvement plan. On staffing, principals have requested additional intervention teachers and special-needs staff; staff indicated one special-needs teacher is in the current plan and discussed three additional teacher requests (including one culinary arts teacher), noting some needs might be met by shifting staff based on enrollment.

Fiscal constraints and state aid uncertainty

The presentation included preliminary state-aid figures previously shared with the Board and said MSDE told districts not to expect an update until the legislature finishes its session. Staff reported the district's salaries and negotiated fixed charges add roughly $2.25 million to the budget baseline and that the broader budget requests add about $2.5 million (an overall increase the presenter characterized as about 4.5%). Administrators repeatedly cautioned that final local choices will depend on the state budget and any legislative changes to the Blueprint funding formula.

Board logistics and next steps

The superintendent said the district will present its proposed budget to the county commissioners on April 22 at 4:30 p.m. The Board's formal action on the budget is planned for May with a likely vote in June. Board members were encouraged to provide priorities to the superintendent during the review period and to use the upcoming detailed budget booklet to guide amendments.

Executive session and personnel topics

At the start of the meeting, the Board voted to go into an executive session under the General Provisions Article of the Annotated Code of Maryland (Section 3-305(b)) to discuss personnel matters (including a staffing-certificate recommendation and personnel updates) and collective bargaining/healthcare renewal negotiations. The executive session was described as discussing confidential matters related to specific employees and negotiations and was closed for those reasons.

Other notes

The meeting included recognition of Gloria Smith (finance office) who is leaving the district; staff introduced new employee Dallas Ouellette and publicly thanked Smith for her work on the finance office and the budget alignment work. Staff asked the Board for feedback on priorities and noted the district is continuing to refine its requests in consultation with county and state partners.

Ending: The Board approved the budget-work-session agenda and adjourned the public session to reconvene later for its regular public meeting schedule, with further budget details to follow in the formal budget booklet and at the April commissioners presentation.