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Charles County schools ask board to carry $5.8 million into FY2026 after Oracle Cloud accounting change; board approves transfers
Summary
Finance staff told the board that Oracle Cloud accounting and open purchase orders produced a revised carryover ask of $5.8 million (down from a prior $12.5M request); board approved intercategory transfers for FY2025 and FY2026 and the Comprehensive Maintenance Plan unanimously.
Karen Acton, the district finance presenter, told the board the district had revised its FY2026 budget carryover request "and we're coming before you with an ask of $5,800,000" after county guidance tied to Oracle Cloud changed how open purchase orders are carried between fiscal years.
Acton said some purchase orders that were open and unliquidated on June 30 are canceled and reentered in the current year under Oracle, so the county allowed carryforwards only for incomplete projects or one‑time funding. She listed major components of the request: $569,279 to carry forward community schools funding; $65,351 for workforce development commitments; roughly $5.2 million in open purchase orders tied to ERP/Oracle change orders, payroll interfaces and an unfinished server/network upgrade; $486,596 for instructional supplies and textbooks; and $3.674 million for capital outlay projects left open at year end.
Acton warned the board the district spent about $20 million of unassigned fund balance in FY2025 and said earlier purchasing and tighter calendar controls will be required to avoid repeating that pressure. Board members asked whether the district will reengineer procurement and ordering deadlines; Acton said budget staff are meeting monthly with areas and principals and will move cutoffs earlier, though exceptions for unavoidable late projects will occasionally be necessary.
During public comment a community member raised school safety and discipline concerns; district staff did not link those remarks directly to the budget request.
The board then voted on three action items: approval of the FY2025 intercategory budget transfer request (motion moved by the vice chair; seconded by Ms. Brenda Thomas), approval of the FY2026 intercategory budget transfer request (moved by Ms. Butler Washington; seconded by Ms. Brenda Thomas), and approval of the Comprehensive Maintenance Plan (moved by Ms. Jamila Smith; seconded by Ms. Brenda Thomas). Meeting minutes record each item as approved unanimously.
Acton and the superintendent told members they will present tighter timelines and clearer guidance for principals so orders for supplies and textbooks are placed earlier in the fiscal year rather than late and carried forward.
