Charles County board approves FY27 request after union pleas and budget scrutiny

Charles County Public Schools officials on Feb. 10 presented a proposed FY27 operating budget that asks the county and state for additional funds to cover mandatory cost increases, collective‑bargaining commitments and rising special‑education costs. The board voted to approve the request after extended public comment from educators and a detailed staff presentation.

Chief Financial Officer Karen Acton and colleague Sherry Fisher Davis outlined the revenue and operating assumptions, describing a base operating request that began at roughly $529.5 million and a revenue submission (with fund balances and other adjustments) presented as approximately $557 million. Acton said the county ask would include $15.6 million above current county funding and the state estimate used was preliminary. The district’s cost per pupil was presented as $19,009.71; presentation slides showed that about 65 cents of every dollar from the county share is focused on instruction, while compensation and benefits make up the majority of new dollars.

Acton identified several mandatory and priority increases: a $4.8 million increase for special education, $3.4 million for transportation (including retiring buses and related costs), health‑care increases and $16.1 million in collective‑bargaining assumptions. The presentation also noted a reduction of six central‑office positions totaling about $663,006 as a one‑time attrition adjustment. Staff repeatedly stressed that the $4.8 million for special education is an initial, conservative estimate and that additional transfers have already been made during the year.

Board members pressed staff on sources and assumptions. Several asked why one school showed a state funding reduction in the MSDE allocations; staff said the state’s formula and wealth adjustment produced the numbers and pledged to investigate the specific school. Members also asked about the district’s reliance on one‑time fund balance; Acton and Superintendent Maria Navarro confirmed the FY27 budget commits $10.2 million of fund balance and warned that relying on that resource every year is not sustainable.

Teachers’ union and support‑staff leaders urged the board to honor negotiated agreements and protect staff compensation. Sean Heil, president of the Education Association of Charles County, publicly asked board members to advocate for maintaining commitments to educators during county hearings. AFSCME vice president Stephanie Lawson thanked staff for work during inclement weather and reiterated support‑staff concerns about planning time, lunch breaks and timely responses to behavioral referrals.

Multiple public comments during the forum reinforced that message: teachers and union representatives urged the board to treat the negotiated contract as a funding priority and warned that repeated rollbacks of cost‑of‑living adjustments and salary promises would worsen retention and staffing shortages.

The board voted to approve the FY27 proposal after the presentation. Superintendent Navarro and staff will carry the submission to the county as the district’s official request; the county executive and commissioners will finalize allocations during their own budget process and the board will return to revise the district budget as needed before the June submission to the state.

Votes at a glance: the board approved the FY27 revenue submission presented on Feb. 10; the motion carried with a majority of voting board members present.

What’s next: district staff said they will return to the board with budget‑balancing options if county allocations fall short and will continue to monitor special‑education needs and state funding final details.