Queen Anne’s County school leaders warn proposed state changes and rising costs will squeeze next year’s operating budget

School district officials reviewing a first draft of the FY2026 operating budget told the Queen Anne’s County Board of Education on Jan. 22 that a combination of a proposed state change to the statewide “Blueprint” funding calculations and routine cost increases could leave the district with a multimillion‑dollar gap unless the county or state provides additional support.

The presentation by district staff laid out revenue calculations, enrollment trends and a list of known and likely cost increases — including salary enhancements tied to multi‑year contracts, health‑insurance rate increases, the cost of state‑mandated programs and rising utilities and vendor fees. Staff also flagged a piece of proposed state legislation that would reduce the per‑pupil foundation allocation by $163, with downstream effects that would lower several other state‑calculated funding buckets.

The board was shown a work‑in‑progress revenue summary based on the draft governor’s numbers received by the district in mid‑January and noted that proposed legislation could reduce state aid to the district by roughly $1,300,000 if enacted as drafted. To model…