Board hears FY26 budget proposals as departments shift software costs and weigh service cuts

At a meeting of the Calvert County Board of Education, district finance and department leaders outlined the superintendent's proposed FY26 budget and answered board questions about staffing, technology contracts, capital outlay and program funding.

The board heard a high-level overview from Chief Financial Officer Scott Johnson, who summarized how the district organizes the budget and flagged two district-wide accounting changes for FY26: moving department-specific software and copier lease/maintenance costs from central IT to the departments that use them, and the need to ensure the district meets the Blueprint for Maryland's Future requirement that at least 75% of certain state funds be spent on a school-by-school basis.

Johnson said the budget development process uses four "tracks" — school principal allocations, director and supervisor budgets, restricted grant budgets, and wage/benefit projections — and that school principals continue to receive per-pupil allocations to spend within assigned budget categories. He told the board that the district is working with a consultant, Affton Partners, to verify compliance with the Blueprint spending requirement.

Why it matters: the shifts discussed would move software and copier expenses into schools and departments, which changes where increases and decreases appear in the budget book and affects principals' discretion; the end of one-time grant funding (ESSER) is also returning recurring digital license and summer-school costs to the local budget.

Key departmental highlights and questions

- Communications and Blueprint coordination: Marcy Gruber, the district's Blueprint and communications coordinator, told the board the proposed budget shows an increase in the section because two FTEs are now shown under the blueprint/communications area rather than one. Gruber said she reduced contracted services by about $20,000 and that Calvert's Blueprint implementation plan has received full approval.

- Equity: Margo Gross, supervisor of equity, said the equity budget covers consultants, supplies and staff development required by the state. Board members noted apparent discrepancies in the percentage changes on the printed budget pages; Gross and CFO Johnson agreed to verify…