Queen Anne's County board hears budget warning as proposed state changes could cut school funding

Queen Anne's County Board of Education members reviewed a draft FY2026 operating budget during a Jan. 22 working session and were warned that proposed state legislation could reduce the school system's state aid by an estimated $1.3 million, creating an immediate shortfall while costs for salaries, benefits and utilities rise.

District staff said the proposal under consideration in Annapolis would delay a timeline tied to a Blueprint for Maryland's Future requirement — specifically the phased change to teachers’ in‑class time — and reduce the foundation per‑pupil amount by $163 (from $9,226 to $9,063 per pupil in the district’s calculation). Staff also said the governor’s proposal would reallocate roughly $57 million over four years to the Maryland State Department of Education to create about 60 MSDE positions, a move the district said would shift resources away from local school systems.

The reduction in foundation funding would cut several other state funding buckets because compensatory education and multilingual learner allocations are calculated as percentages of the foundation amount. District staff presented a draft summary showing an overall state aid increase of about $1.426 million in the governor’s budget picture, but said the pending legislation could wipe out roughly $1.3 million of that increase.

Officials…