Talbot County schools propose $9.6 million request as FY27 budget highlights rising salaries, benefits and capital needs

The Talbot County Board of Education received a detailed FY27 budget presentation on Jan. 12 that asked Talbot County for $9,600,000 above the required local share, staff said.

"So asking for a contribution from Talbot County, $9,600,000 above the required local share," the budget presenter said, outlining a proposal that would raise the district's total budget roughly 8.1 percent over FY26 when restricted and unrestricted funds are combined.

Why it matters: the proposed increase is driven largely by personnel costs and benefits, one-time and cyclical capital work and the expiration of some grant funding. Staff singled out a $4.2 million projected increase in salaries tied to recently negotiated pay agreements (a 5.25 percent increase for certificated staff and 5.75 percent for support staff), a projected 7 percent rise in health insurance costs and higher retirement contributions prompted by changes in state funding formulas.

District staff also flagged $1.3 million in restricted grant funds that are expiring in FY27 and an overall $9.4 million increase in unrestricted needs. "We can't run our school system as it runs right now without the combination of those two sources of funding," the presenter said, describing how federal, state and local funds interact in the budget.

New positions and programs: the budget justification lists 11 positions (including classroom teachers, special-education assistants, an instructional technology coordinator, payroll staff and a pupil-personnel worker to address McKinney‑Vento needs). The presenter said written justifications and data for each requested position are available to board members.

Health center and benefits: staff reiterated plans for the Marathon health center to open Jan. 28 and confirmed the board will tour the site Jan. 20 during a joint meeting with the county council. "We're opening on January 28, and this board is gonna be taking a tour on January 20 at our joint county council meeting," Miss Jones said. Staff said operating the health center for a full 12 months in FY27 will raise near-term operating costs and that potential savings to health‑insurance lines are likely to materialize only after the center reaches stable utilization.

Capital and technology needs: the district presented an eight-year capital outlook that includes a proposed $4 million roof replacement at Easton Middle School. Staff said the state would cover most of that cost and the district would request roughly $1.7 million from the county. Technology spending includes a scheduled rotation of campus access points and switches every five years and a large device‑replacement cycle; staff said some grant funding will offset part of those costs but that technology is a significant upward pressure on next year’s budget.

Programs and instruction: the presentation described a focused summer program in FY27 emphasizing credit recovery, special education, ESOL services and K–2 literacy work. Staff also said the district will continue tutoring and intervention work that was previously supported by ESSER funds and that some ESSER liquidation opportunities may reduce longer-term pressure if allowable.

Equity and student outcomes: board members pressed staff about how the budget addresses persistent proficiency gaps, particularly for Black and African American students, and asked for more detail on materials, tutor allocations and targeted interventions. Staff said the district will provide subgroup-level analyses from midyear assessments and that specific program allocations and tutor counts will be provided as follow-up.

Other operational details: staff described transportation cost drivers (repair costs, timing of bus lease payments and a modest additional lease), clarified that food-service operations currently generate a fund balance used for equipment reinvestment, and reviewed how community‑school (concentration‑of‑poverty) funds are restricted to qualifying schools and require site-specific reporting and oversight.

Board process and next steps: staff said they will supply more detailed local vs. state revenue estimates in a few weeks and promised follow-ups on requested items—including demographic comparisons, the count of tutors and Edmentum program details, device‑spending totals and updated special‑education rollout reports. The presenter noted the timeline toward a county presentation and State submission and said some budget items will be iterated as new revenue information becomes available. The board approved the evening's agenda at the opening of the meeting and adjourned after the presentation; staff will return with a shorter, three‑slide summary for the board's Wednesday meeting.

What’s next: staff will refine revenue estimates and follow up on board questions ahead of the joint county meeting and the board’s formal budget presentations later in the public cycle.