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Board hears FY26 budget timeline and how state 'blueprint' rules change spending — "the money follows the student," staff say
Summary
Finance staff explained the state funding formulas, the district’s enrollment and demographics, and compliance pressure under the Maryland blueprint that requires most per‑pupil funding to be spent at schools, while noting special education and multilingual learner spending gaps.
At a Dec. 16 work session the Talbot County Board of Education received a detailed briefing on FY26 budget timing, state funding formulas and the district’s spending obligations under the Maryland Blueprint for Education.
Ms. Jones, a district staff member presenting the budget overview, said the district’s enrollment this fall was “4,485 students.” She explained that the state funding system is formula‑driven: each program has a per‑pupil amount and the district receives money according to student counts in those buckets. “The money follows the student,” she said, summarizing the principle behind the allocations.
Jones told the board the district receives some revenue beyond the blueprint formulas — transportation reimbursements, nonpublic education reimbursement, interest and facility rental income — but the largest and most prescriptive funding is from state formulas governed by COMAR and the Education Article. She noted one formula the district does not…
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