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Maryland School for the Deaf budget holds steady as DLS flags per‑pupil reduction and audit items
Summary
Department of Legislative Services projects a roughly $300,000 decrease in the Maryland School for the Deaf operating budget for fiscal 2026 and recommends a $650,000 contingent reduction tied to a proposed BRFAA per‑pupil cut; school leaders said they are addressing audit findings and preparing staff for a new kindergarten readiness assessment.
The Maryland School for the Deaf (MSD) would see its fiscal 2026 operating allowance decrease by about $300,000, to roughly $55 million, according to the Department of Legislative Services (DLS) budget analysis presented to the Education and Economic Development Subcommittee.
DLS analyst Laura Hyde told the panel that while MSD’s personnel costs rise by roughly $2 million in the fiscal 2026 allowance, other reductions — including a deficiency allocation for a chiller replacement at the Eli Building on the Frederick campus — produce a net decline. Hyde said a Budget and Reconciliation Financing Act (BRFAA) provision would lower the statutory per‑pupil foundation amount; applying the BRFAA per‑pupil reduction would cut MSD’s appropriation by about $650,000, and DLS recommended that MSD’s fiscal 2026 allowance be reduced by that amount to align with the BRFAA proposal.
The recommendation matters because per‑pupil funding underpins formula support for MSD’s statewide operations. Hyde also noted that DLS expects MSD’s enrollment used for formula funding to rise from a four‑year average of 414 in fiscal 2024 to 420 in fiscal 2025 and 424 in fiscal 2026.
MSD Superintendent John A. Serrano, who appeared with Chief Financial and Operations Officer Anne Miller, said the agency concurred with the analysis and described steps the school is taking to address audit findings and assessment issues. Serrano said MSD has posted a solicitation for a new American Sign Language interpreting services contract and is working with the State Procurement Office to resolve outstanding procurement matters.
Hyde told the subcommittee MSD had four audit findings in 2024, including one repeat finding; MSD has fully resolved two procurement issues and is working to remediate two remaining items, she said. On student assessment, Hyde said DLS and MSD agree the standard kindergarten readiness assessment (KRA) may not capture the complexity of MSD students’ individualized education plans. She reported that MSD and the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) are developing a kindergarten readiness plan centered on the child outcome survey. Serrano told the subcommittee staff will receive MSDE training to administer an updated readiness assessment in fall 2025.
The DLS analysis also flagged personnel and vacancy data: MSD’s fiscal 2026 allowance includes 372.5 regular positions and 29 contractual positions, a net increase of 10 regular positions (conversions from contractual); MSD reported 23 vacant positions as of January 2024, which Hyde said represented 16 vacancies above the budgeted turnover and raised a question of how vacancy savings would be used.
On student outcomes, Hyde pointed to a decline in MSD’s managing for results (MFR) measure showing fewer students headed to college or work in fiscal 2024 than prior years and asked MSD to explain why graduates did not meet MFR targets. Serrano said MSD is focused on professional development and periodic evaluations to improve outcomes.
No formal committee votes were recorded during the MSD presentation; Serrano and Anne Miller answered committee questions and the subcommittee moved on after MSD’s comments.
