Prince Frederick, MD – Admitting that Calvert County Public Schools’ (CCPS) Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 budget—nearly $209.5 million—was quite large, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Daniel D. Curry declared his proposed FY 2020 budget was “a whole lot more.” The superintendent presented his spending plan Thursday, Feb. 21 during a public hearing. Curry’s was the only voice heard during the hearing. The mostly empty Calvert High School auditorium was mostly occupied by public school and county government administrators and no one signed up to offer public comment on Curry’s proposed budget. Members of the Calvert Board of Education (BOE) never made it on stage when it was determined that there would be no one to hear.

The proposed CCPS FY 2019 Budget has now been handed off to the BOE for a final decision. The budget is $12.36 million larger than the current fiscal year budget for a total of $221.86 million.

Curry stated the proposed budget fully funds employee contracts, which call for a (pay) step and a 1 percent cost of living adjustment (COLA). There is also money to add nearly 41 individuals to the CCPS workforce, including nearly seven additional special education teachers and over 20 other teachers. Other additional personnel include therapists, social workers, transportation workers and computer technologists. The latter hires are part of a three-year plan to “put a laptop in the hands of each student in grades three to 12.”

Bolstering the CCPS budget is an additional $9.24 million in county funding and a $6.25 million in state funds. The county allocation is tied to a funding formula agreed to by the BOE and county commissioners to eliminate the annual angst of how much local funding should go to public schools. Currently, the formula is to remain in effect for the next two fiscal years, including FY 2020. One of the components of the formula is enrollment. The school system is held harmless for any drop in enrollment. However, this past September enrollment had increased by 40 students.

Curry stated that the proposed budget was crafted as a plan to address priorities designed to address the CCPS Strategic Plan that was compiled two years ago.
An overview of the proposed CCPS FY 2020 budget will be presented next month when the Calvert County Government staff rolls out its proposed budget for the next fiscal year at a public hearing.

Contact Marty Madden at marty.madden@thebaynet.com