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Teachers, school board and residents urge Charles County to fully fund the schools' budget
Summary
Dozens of teachers, school-board members, the superintendent and parents told commissioners that even a 1–2% shortfall becomes "a classroom reality," urging full funding of the superintendent's $557 million FY2027 request to avoid larger class sizes and service cuts.
Dozens of teachers, school-board members, the superintendent and parents used the public hearing to press the Charles County Board of Commissioners to fully fund the superintendent's FY2027 operating request, saying small percentage shortfalls translate to lost instruction and staff.
Nicole Kramer, chair of the Board of Education, told the commission she supported the Board of Education's $557 million request and highlighted the need to retain nearly 4,000 employees who serve roughly 27,000 students. "We must continue to adequately and competitively compensate our greatest asset, our staff," Kramer said.
Superintendent Maria Navarro described recent academic gains and expanded pre-K and early-college participation, and urged continued investment. "Every time you invest funding in public education," Navarro said, "you see a return in student outcomes and expanded opportunities."
Teachers and school staff delivered uniform accounts of classroom pressures: overcrowded rooms, mounting out-of-pocket classroom expenses and difficulty recruiting and retaining staff. Several speakers used the hearing's refrain: "Every budget cut is a classroom reality." Linda McLaughlin, a parent and advocate, said the board's decision-making matters in real minutes and learning time: "1.35% sounds small on paper, but for time, for people, for students, that is huge."
Educators described concrete effects they expect from underfunding: larger class sizes (some teachers reported class rosters near 30–31 for next year), reductions in intervention or elective programs, and difficulty meeting federally required IEP services without sufficient instructional assistants. Multiple speakers noted that the county's share of the overall budget allocated to education has declined over several years even as total dollars increased.
Some commenters acknowledged competing priorities in the county budget but said Charles County has the capacity to do more. "When we fund schools, we invest in our community's future," said Peter Allman, a 19-year teacher who asked commissioners to "do better" in allocating funds.
Next steps: commissioners accepted public comments and kept the record open through May 8 to receive additional written input before scheduling a tax-rate hearing on May 12.
