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St. Mary's school board hears FY2027 budget; public urges keeping operations staff
Summary
Board staff presented a $307.1 million FY2027 spending plan with a roughly 3% increase and projected recurring state aid of about $149.3 million; public commenters urged the Board and county commissioners to preserve operations and frontline positions that supporters say protect health and safety.
St. Mary's County Board of Education staff presented the proposed fiscal year 2027 budget at a public hearing Jan. 21, 2026, detailing a $307.1 million recommendation that represents a roughly 3% increase over the current year.
Board staff said the superintendent's recommended budget prioritizes instructional salaries (an increase of about $3.4 million), special education ($1.6 million), student transportation ($1.0 million) and fixed charges ($2.0 million). Staff reported projected recurring state aid of approximately $149.3 million, an increase of about $2.7 million over the current fiscal year; the governor's recently released budget caused staff to lower the district's local request by roughly $1.0 million from prior projections.
In public comment, Mister Hancock said he would support the budget overall but opposed a proposed reduction of 5.5 operations positions, urging county commissioners to use a previously enacted 0.3% tax increase to support schools. "Now is the time for them to take that 0.3% and give it to education like they said they would," Hancock said.
Christie Mattingly, a preschool special education teacher at Leonardtown Elementary, recounted repeated pneumonia episodes tied to a leak and mold in a classroom and credited operations staff with identifying and fixing the problem. "I had pneumonia four times in a short span of two years," Mattingly said, arguing that reductions to operations staff would hinder the district's ability to detect and remedy building health issues.
Sarah Penrod, president of the Education Association of St. Mary's County, urged the board to reconsider cuts to operations and frontline positions, saying reduced staffing risks immediate harms to building maintenance, student health and staff burnout. "Safe schools are not a luxury. They are a basic obligation," Penrod said.
A district presenter emphasized that some state-level shifts (including proposed changes to special education payment shares and retirement-related payments) require the local budget to absorb new or shifted costs. The presenter said details would be clarified when the Maryland State Department of Education releases district-specific state aid numbers.
The Board took no formal vote on the overall budget at the hearing; public comment was recorded and the Board scheduled a budget work session the following week to consider feedback and next steps.
