County says it will press for fair school funding as budget talks begin

An unidentified member of the St. Mary's County board said the county is entering its budget process and will work with the Board of Education to ensure schools receive adequate funding, saying the state 'blueprint' understates promised aid.

"The big lie of blueprint is that the state isn't providing the funding that they had promised to provide," the unidentified board member said, criticizing the state's use of what they described as outdated metrics.

The speaker said the county and the Board of Education have partnered to make sure schools get what they need and noted the state has historically provided "about half" of the new revenue required for the Board of Education to meet negotiated agreements and rising costs. "The county for the past couple years has carried the weight when the state dropped the ball, and we can't do that forever," the speaker said.

The remarks framed the county's outlook as it begins drafting its budget. No formal motion or vote on funding levels was recorded in these remarks; the speaker said the county does not yet know what the Board of Education's formal funding request will be this cycle and emphasized negotiation and fairness as goals.

The speaker also urged the state to clarify its priorities during its budget process so counties across Maryland will have aligned expectations. The county announced a public forum for Jan. 13 where members of the public may listen and speak about any topic, a procedural step the speaker said will be part of the budget discussion process.

The county's comments reflect a recurring issue in local-state funding relations: local officials said they have absorbed shortfalls when state funding lagged, and they signaled they will press for a clearer, sustained state contribution as the county prepares its budget.