Queen Anne's County Public Schools present $13.4 million FY27 budget gap as state aid remains uncertain

Queen Anne's County Public Schools officials told the school board on Jan. 21 that the district is preparing a preliminary fiscal year 2027 budget that would increase spending by about 10.53%, or roughly $13,434,000, but that final revenue numbers depend on a state aid file not yet released by the Maryland Department of Education.

"At this point, I'm presenting to you FY '27 budget, without the benefit of having the state aid file," Rob Watkins, interim chief financial officer, told the board. He said the district would combine the state aid file with projected expenses once it is available and produce a draft budget for approval.

The administration broke the proposed increase into two parts: $9,363,000 (about 7.35% of the current budget) to maintain the district’s existing programs and roughly $4,000,000 (about 3.19%) for program improvements and restorations. Watkins said the FY26 general unrestricted operating budget is about $127.5 million, with capital at roughly $13 million and restricted funds near $6.2 million.

Superintendent Dr. Kibler and Watkins said the district’s revenue outlook is constrained by…