LEONARDTOWN, Md. — The St. Mary’s County Board of Education has voted to advance a proposed FY 2027 operating budget for St. Mary’s County Public Schools totaling $307.4 million, a 3.1% increase of $9.3 million over the current fiscal year, as Deputy Superintendent Tammy McCourt and Superintendent J. Scott Smith said the proposed budget is centered on meeting existing obligations and maintaining classroom instruction.
St. Mary’s County Board of Education officials described the proposal as a continuation budget rather than an expansion plan, shaped by negotiated employee agreements, state funding requirements and declining enrollment.
Much of the increase is tied to compensation costs already in place. Those include $4.7 million in step increases, which are scheduled raises and contractual agreements tied to years of service; a 2% cost-of-living adjustment totaling $3.5 million; and $300,000 for National Board Certification incentives for teachers who demonstrate advanced teaching practices. Together, those items account for approximately $8.5 million in new spending tied to negotiated agreements covering about 2,300 employees.
The budget also reflects rising special education costs, including a shift in how those expenses are shared between the state and counties. While total state aid is projected to increase by $3 million to $149.6 million, administrators noted that some funding categories did decline while others increased, requiring the district to absorb higher local costs even as overall aid rises.
The proposed FY 2027 budget includes a net reduction of 5.51 permanent positions, primarily tied to declining enrollment and operational adjustments. In addition, up to nine social worker and student support positions funded through temporary pandemic-era grants could be affected as those grants expire or are reduced, though officials said some staff may be reassigned and the funding was always intended to be temporary.
“So there are things that we have today that we won’t have tomorrow because the federal and state government isn’t providing the funding that it once provided for those things. You will not see a proposal for us to then bring them on in the general fund,” Smith said during the budget work session Jan. 28. “Recognizing we have declining enrollment, and we have the funding levels that we have, we have to protect the classroom first.”
During last week’s Board of Education meeting, when the FY 2027 budget was approved, St. Mary’s County Board of Education officials also cited statewide funding comparisons to provide context. According to Maryland Department of Legislative Services data presented by school officials, St. Mary’s County ranks among the lowest at 23rd out of 24 school systems statewide in combined state and local per-pupil operating funding. This comparison was offered to illustrate long-term funding challenges rather than as part of the FY 2027 funding request.
Board members raised no objections during the preliminary work session and praised the level of detail provided by finance staff. The proposed budget will next move to county-level review, where funding decisions will be considered as part of the broader county budget process.
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