PRINCE FREDERICK, Md. — Calvert County Public Schools (CCPS) has begun laying out budget priorities and funding tracks as of the Oct. 9 Board of Education (BOE) meeting. The board will begin outlining its priorities and planning the budget at the next meeting, scheduled for Oct. 23.
According to CCPS Chief Financial Officer Scott Johnson, there are several steps and a set timeline for developing the FY27 budget. The first step is to consider preliminary estimates on revenue development from state aid, county appropriation and other sources. The district will update the estimates as the year progresses.
The next phase is to consider the “expenditure track,” which has three main branches: wage and salary projections; directors’, coordinators’ and supervisors’ budgets; and principals’ budgets.
Johnson also outlined the guiding parameters for budget development, which are as follows:
- Provide a safe environment for students and staff
- Maximize educational opportunities for students
- Attract and retain high-quality instructional, administrative and support staff
- Fulfill local, state and federal requirements (Blueprint, etc.)
- Honor current collective bargaining agreements
- Provide excellent fiscal stewardship for CCPS taxpayers
CCPS also needs to meet Blueprint’s minimum school funding requirement and balance the FY27 budget without using any fund balance accumulated in previous years.
Board Member Paul Harrison encouraged fellow board members to fully consider all the expenditures and charges in preparation for the next meeting.
“I want to make sure we’re moving toward a thoughtful, strategic and respectful process. We don’t want to run to the commissioners in August and say we need money,” Harrison said. He added, “We need to make sure we’re very, very clear on what our needs are and quantify them.”
The budget development calendar will be available on the district website.
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