Operations leaders flag staffing shortfalls, rising contract and utility costs in FY26 request

Cornell Brown, chief operating officer for the Howard County Public School System, told the Board of Education on Jan. 23 that the division of operations is presenting a “same services” FY26 budget that includes targeted increases in contract and utility costs while holding most staffing levels steady.

Brown outlined five primary change buckets in the operations request: increased transportation contract costs, route and walk-zone adjustments, lease cost increases for facilities, reclassification of preventive maintenance staff and higher utility and trash costs. He said the division is not seeking broad new staffing beyond a handful of grant- or program-driven additions but listed a number of unfunded priorities — notably custodial and maintenance positions, technology and routing-software upgrades, equipment maintenance and supplies whose market prices have risen sharply.

Key numbers and items presented - Transportation contract services: $5,300,000 requested to address higher contract costs driven largely by demand for special-needs routes and program growth. - Walk-zone/routing adjustments: $1,200,000 to support route changes tied to policy…