Harford County school board appoints Dr. Diane Mack as interim superintendent and approves FY27 budget amendments including $10M from fund balance

The Harford County Board of Education on Feb. 24 voted to appoint Dr. Diane Mack as interim superintendent and approved a set of fiscal‑year 2027 budget amendments that reduce several proposed new positions and use $10 million from the district’s unassigned fund balance.

Board President (chair) moved the appointment under authority cited from the Education Article of the Annotated Code of Maryland; the motion was seconded and approved by the board. The appointment is to be effective Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026, and to continue through June 30, 2026, under terms set by the board.

The meeting’s principal business was a line‑by‑line review of the superintendent’s proposed FY27 budget. Presenters — identified in the meeting as Deborah Judd, assistant superintendent for business services, and Eric Clark, director of budget — walked the board through proposed adjustments. They reported an increase in anticipated state funding that reduced the local funding request and then presented a package of amendments developed by board members and staff.

Key budget actions the board approved included: trimming a proposed addition of 20 pre‑K–2 teacher positions down to 10; removing a set of nine positions listed as Title I overstaffs in the FY26 funding projection; postponing the transfer of a coordinator of Career and Technical Education and magnet programs from federal Title IV to the operating budget (keeping the position supported by Title IV for FY27); reductions to early‑college staffing at Swan Creek; and, after discussion, allocating $10 million from unassigned fund balance to reduce the district’s local ask for additional county funding.

Board members and public commenters pressed staff on the implications of removing or deferring positions. Public speakers said cuts would harm classroom supports and urged transparency about how federal grants and county funding interact with operating requests. David Bauer, a registered in‑person speaker, told the board he was "disappointed to see that [the budget] preemptively cuts positions," noting several items described as currently funded by federal grants. Assistant superintendent Judd and director Clark repeatedly told the board they had reviewed grant funding and year‑end balances and said certain positions could be carried on federal funds for the coming year.

Board debate included an extended procedural dispute over a proposed reduction to multilingual learner teacher requests. An initial vote on that item was challenged on procedure and majority requirements and ultimately was corrected; the transcript shows the board revisited multilingual staffing numbers later in the session and adopted an amended reduction.

Finance staff warned that using $10 million of unassigned fund balance would leave a narrower reserve (projected unassigned fund balance was roughly $23 million before the allocation), and several members urged caution, noting potential capital risks (for example, urgent HVAC or building repairs) if reserves are depleted. Supporters of the fund‑balance use said the allocation was necessary to present a balanced FY27 local ask that the county could realistically fund.

The board also approved the restricted fund budget (federal/state grants) and the food and nutrition restricted budget as presented; presenters said there were no changes to those restricted budgets in the amendments.

The meeting closed with the announcement of the next board business meeting on March 9, 2026.

Votes at a glance (outcomes recorded during the meeting): - Appointment: Motion to appoint Dr. Diane Mack as interim superintendent (effective 02/25/2026 through 06/30/2026) — motion carried (voice vote recorded). - Line item changes: Motion to reduce proposed addition of 20 pre‑K–2 teachers to 10 (line 4) — passed (roll call recorded in transcript). - Multilingual teachers (line 5): procedural dispute; initial announcement of passage was corrected and the board revisited the item later before adopting an amended reduction (see clarifying details below). - Title I overstaffs: removal of nine positions — passed (roll call recorded). - CTE coordinator (line 7): decision to keep position funded by Title IV rather than move to operating — passed. - Swan Creek early‑college staffing reductions (lines 35–37): passed. - Motion to use $10,000,000 of unassigned fund balance — passed.

What happens next: staff said they will finalize the FY27 documents in the spring after state and federal figures are finalized and will return with the final budget adoption language if any legal or clerical adjustments are required. The board scheduled its next business meeting for March 9, 2026.

Sources: Public comment and roll‑call and voice votes during the Harford County Board of Education business meeting on Feb. 24, 2026.