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Kent County board presents balanced FY27 budget, eyes county help for middle‑school work
Summary
Superintendent Dr. McComas proposed a FY27 budget that balances using $359,355.63 of unassigned fund balance, preserves several school positions, and asks the county for a $280,000 one‑time contribution to update temperature controls while noting a new state cost‑share change that could increase state support for a new middle school.
The Kent County Public Schools Board of Education on April 13 reviewed a proposed fiscal‑year 2027 budget that the superintendent said would balance if the board approves using $359,355.63 of the district’s unassigned fund balance and maintains several previously cut positions.
"Our total revenue this year is $34,700,000," Superintendent Dr. McComas told the board, adding that after backing out $2,100,000 in restricted concentration‑of‑poverty funds, the district would have approximately $32,500,000 to operate. She said personnel costs and calibrated non‑personnel spending leave a modest gap that the proposed use of fund balance would close.
The presentation emphasized priorities for literacy, mathematics and STEAM pathways, with the superintendent repeatedly tying proposed allocations to student achievement. The budget maintains lead‑teacher instructional coaching in schools that have the role and restores several instructional assistant and social‑worker positions at Galena, Garnett and Rock Hall elementary schools, as well as staffing at the high school.
The meeting also focused on the middle‑school construction project. Dr. McComas said the Interagency Commission on School Construction adjusted the eligible cost formula for small systems so the state would now cover roughly 75% of eligible construction costs — a change she characterized as "monumental" for Kent County and other small systems. She cautioned that last‑day legislative actions and preauthorizations complicate the immediate outlook; the board will learn more after the county commissioners’ budget session next week.
One specific, time‑sensitive request drew close scrutiny: the superintendent said the district would ask the county to provide a one‑time $280,000 contribution to update temperature‑control systems at Garnett Elementary and Kent County High School, a project she described as energy‑conserving and likely to reduce annual heating/cooling costs. "That's the only thing that I would be asking the commissioners for above what they're required to give us by law," she said, laying out three options for the board: request the funds from the county, use contingency, or defer the work.
Board members debated the best strategy. Mister Rhodes urged urgency: "We need to get this passed. If we don't get it done now, it's not gonna happen," he said of middle‑school funding and related county support. Other board members counseled caution about drawing down contingency funds, saying the district should preserve reserves for personnel and unanticipated needs. Dr. McComas said she would return with detailed, phased cost options (one school per year or a multi‑year approach) and more precise savings estimates.
The board was reminded that a public hearing on the FY27 budget is scheduled for April 27 and that staff will meet with county commissioners the following week to discuss the middle‑school project and the district’s request. The superintendent characterized the current draft as a balanced budget and said she will bring updated figures and a recommended approach back to the board for a vote.
What happens next: the board will hear public comment on April 27, follow up with staff and county officials after the commissioners’ budget workshop, and return to vote on the budget at a later meeting.
