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Commissioners approve FY2025 year‑end budget amendment for Calvert County Public Schools
Summary
Board approved a school district budget amendment that reduces the planned use of district fund balance from $25 million to $17 million by reallocating revenues and lowering expenditures, commissioners were told.
The Calvert County Board of County Commissioners on Aug. 26 approved a year‑end budget amendment for Calvert County Public Schools that staff said will lower the district's planned use of fund balance for fiscal 2025 from $25 million to about $17 million.
Scott Johnson, chief financial officer for Calvert County Public Schools, told the commissioners the amendment reconciles the district's budget to actual revenue and expenditures for FY25. "With these changes with the revenue increases and with the expenditure decreases, that would provide an $8,000,000 reduction in the use of fund balance. So instead of using 25,000,000, this would use $17,000,000 of fund balance," Johnson said.
Johnson said the adjustment reflects a mix of factors, including higher interest earnings on local investments, underspending of some state workforce‑development allocations that will carry into FY26, and lower federal revenue tied to reduced NJROTC spending. On the expenditure side, he cited instructional salary savings tied to uncertainty over participation in a newly introduced career ladder and lower costs for health insurance and retirement. He also said ESSER (COVID) funds were used to pay for "future ready" technology devices, reducing general‑fund needs by several hundred thousand dollars.
Linda Turner, county administrator, and other commissioners asked detailed questions about escrow and unrestricted fund usage and about staffing and career‑ladder projections for FY26. Johnson said initial estimates for FY26 included a use of about $11.25 million of unrestricted funds for certain purposes and that the district expects more teachers to be on the career ladder in FY26.
The board approved the amendment on a voice vote after a motion to accept the school board's requested transfers for the unrestricted, restricted, food service and school construction funds.
The amendment does not increase the district's overall FY25 operating budget; it reallocates revenue and expenditure lines and authorizes transfers among funds to align the budget with actual year‑end activity and needs. The Board of Education approved the same amendment on June 30, 2025, Johnson said.
Next steps: county finance staff will finalize FY25 closeout figures and follow up on outstanding clarifications commissioners requested, including final confirmation of escrow balances.
