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Commissioners approve FY2025 school year‑end amendment, cutting planned fund‑balance use by $8 million
Summary
The Board of County Commissioners approved a FY2025 year‑end budget amendment for Calvert County Public Schools that reallocates spending across funds and reduces the district's planned use of fund balance from $25 million to $17 million. Staff said the change does not increase the district's overall operating budget.
The Calvert County Board of Commissioners on Aug. 26 approved a year‑end FY2025 budget amendment for Calvert County Public Schools that staff said reconciles budgeted amounts with actual revenue and expenditures.
Scott Johnston, chief financial officer for the school system, told commissioners the amendment "will not increase the overall approved FY '25 operating budget for Calvert County Public Schools." Johnston said the requested changes reallocate funds among the unrestricted, restricted, food service and school construction funds to reflect stronger local interest earnings, underspending of some state workforce development funds that will carry into FY26, and reduced federal spending in certain programs.
Johnston listed several drivers of the shift: higher-than-expected interest earnings; ESSER (COVID relief) purchases of devices that relieved the general fund by more than $700,000; and lower instructional salary expenditures in some categories tied to one‑time staffing changes and leave‑without‑pay. He said the amendment proposes an expenditure reduction of about $6,725,000 (roughly 2.4 percent) and would reduce the budgeted use of fund balance from $25,000,000 to $17,000,000 — an $8,000,000 decrease in the planned drawdown.
Commissioners asked follow‑up questions about ESSER balances and unrestricted fund usage for FY26; Johnston and County Administrator Linda Turner said staff would verify specific line items and supply updated figures if needed. Commissioner [mover] moved to approve the amendment and the board approved the motion by voice vote.
What happens next: staff will finalize FY2025 closeout figures and incorporate the approved transfers into the county and district accounting records. The amendment, according to presenters, reallocates resources within existing funds and does not change the total approved FY2025 operating budget.
