Board hears FY2027 budget framing as parents and unions warn class-size and staffing cuts will harm students

Baltimore County Public Schools presented work session #2 on the proposed FY2027 operating budget on Feb. 10, emphasizing fiscal pressures from declining enrollment, higher wages and mandated special-education services.

Superintendent Dr. Rogers said staff expect additional revenue around $46 million but that rising compensation and benefits create a substantial gap; the proposed budget includes an assumption of a 2% target increase and details year-2 and year-3 negotiated compensation steps. Dr. Rogers told the board the county executive has expressed willingness to provide additional support but that the exact amount was not yet known.

Community reaction: multiple speakers urged the board to avoid increasing class sizes. Lloyd Allen (TABCO vice president) warned the proposed budget would cut “594.4 full-time positions” (as quoted in public comments) and urged the board to protect class size to preserve educator–student relationships. PTA Council President Leslie Weber praised investments in recruitment, retention and safety but urged small elementary class sizes and support for multilingual learners. Billy Burke (CASE) reported both instructional successes and logistical failures during recent virtual days and recommended clearer elementary virtual schedules and more predictable paraeducator roles.

Budget details and staff responses: budget staff explained compensation increases (a year-and-a-half of step and cost-of-living adjustments in the proposed numbers), a planned transition to in-house substitutes (shifting roughly $10 million in costs from contracts to salary), and grant funding composition (major federal grants: Title I and IDEA; state concentration-of-poverty funding). Staff also described fund-balance planning: the FY27 proposal contemplates using a portion of fund balance (~$50M this year) with a multi-year plan to step down to a sustainable ~$30M level.

Class-size formulas and special education: board members pressed staff on class-size caps and how students with individualized education plans affect allocations. Dr. Rogers said special-education students are weighted in staffing formulas (e.g., counted as a higher load) to preserve least-restrictive-environment requirements and that inclusion classes receive co-teacher support when required.

Motions and next steps: a proposal to restore secondary librarian/media-specialist positions to full-time (no classroom/advisory duties) was introduced; the board voted to postpone that motion until the next meeting so staff can provide a full fiscal impact analysis. Separately, a four-part budget amendment proposed by a board member — including reconciling new federal revenue, increasing the budgeted vacancy turnover rate, preserving FY26 staffing ratios and quarterly reporting requirements — was circulated for consideration at the Feb. 24 meeting; staff committed to supply written fiscal analyses for board review.

Key quotes: "The proposed budget would cut 594 and 4 tenths full time positions," TABCO vice president Lloyd Allen said, urging the board not to increase class size. "We are grateful for the county executive's desire to do more," Dr. Rogers said, noting ongoing conversations to close budget gaps.

What happens next: staff will post additional budget Q&A and provide the board with requested cost estimates and scenario analyses before the board’s next budget work session and expected action on the FY2027 budget. The board scheduled additional review and will vote at a later meeting after receiving the requested materials.