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Board of Education asks county for $8.4 million in additional local funding
Summary
The St. Mary's County Board of Education asked commissioners for $8.4 million in additional local funding to cover negotiated compensation increases and programmatic/infrastructure needs; state aid projections and enrollment decline were discussed as context.
Representatives of the St. Mary's County Public Schools presented their recommended FY27 budget and asked the county commissioners for an additional $8.4 million in local funding during the Feb. 24 work session.
Speaker 7, representing the Board of Education, said the negotiated agreement (including salary-related payroll costs) would add $4.7 million in staff costs and that the board is requesting $8.4 million in additional local funding to cover compensation, benefits and other district needs. The BOE presentation also included a 2% COLA totaling about $3.5 million and programmatic requests for transportation, special education and pre‑K commitments.
The BOE noted projected state aid of $149.6 million (an increase of $3.0 million from current estimates) and highlighted a decrease in transition grant funding. The presenter pointed to enrollment declines and to a sizable per‑pupil increase embedded in the state blueprint for pre‑K, with the per‑pupil pre‑K allocation rising from about $14,005 to about $19,010 (a 38% increase), an item that must be spent on pre‑K services if carried forward.
Commissioners asked clarifying questions about the footprint of the request, the scope of national board certification funding and the BOE’s use of nonrecurring funds for technology and other infrastructure needs. The board emphasized that some critical building infrastructure needs across schools total roughly $9.2 million and that state per‑pupil funding for Saint Mary's County remains below the state average.
