Consultants lay out 68 recommendations to streamline Calvert County schools; board presses for priorities and budget clarity
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Summary
Public Works consultants presented a 450‑page efficiency review with 29 commendations and 68 recommendations that the board was told could yield more than $29 million in savings over five years. Board members asked which recommendations should be prioritized in the FY2027 budget and sought clear cost/savings timelines.
Consultants from Public Works presented an efficiency assessment to the Calvert County Board of Education that reviewed over 1,200 documents and interviewed nearly 388 staff and stakeholders. The report identified 29 commendations and 68 recommendations spanning central office reorganization, HR, finance, transportation, instruction, special education and IT.
Presentation highlights included a recommendation to add two executive director positions (elementary and secondary), to elevate the chief academic and chief operating officers to deputy‑superintendent status, and to hire a full‑time communications director and in‑house legal counsel. The consultants also recommended standardizing key performance indicators across departments and reorganizing HR into three divisions to improve hiring timelines and onboarding.
The consultants presented an estimated five‑year gross savings figure of over $29 million, but they emphasized that the report’s recommendations are a mix of upfront investments and longer‑term efficiencies. Consultants provided appendices (benchmark comparisons, exhibits and implementation tables) and said year‑one actions should be prioritized and incorporated into the FY2027 budget where feasible.
Board response and priorities
Board members repeatedly asked for the top near‑term priorities the district could accomplish in the coming year. Consultants and staff recommended starting with instructional leadership staffing (to address principal support and instructional coaching), human resources restructuring (to shorten hiring timelines), and transportation efficiency (a major recurring cost driver).
Several board members stressed the need to present a clear, itemized budget ask to county commissioners rather than a single lump sum. The March 1 deadline to submit the budget to county commissioners was cited as driving urgency to identify which actions require FY27 funding versus those that are multi‑year investments.
What the consultants said: "We try to triangulate all of our recommendations so that there's more than one source of data supporting that recommendation," consultant John Gaddis said, adding that report chapters include a status‑quo analysis, staffing, budgets and implementation strategies with five‑year fiscal impacts.
Next steps: The consultants recommended the superintendent’s leadership team adopt a prioritized implementation plan, incorporate year‑one actions into the FY27 budget, and present quarterly progress reports to the board. Board members directed staff to compile a prioritized list of items and the exact dollars the board should request from commissioners for the upcoming budget cycle.
