Garrett County board previews Fiscal 2027 budget, to seek $1.5 million from county

Garrett County’s Board of Education used a special March 10 work session to outline priorities for the Fiscal 2027 budget and to announce a planned request for an additional $1,500,000 from county government above the state minimum.

At the meeting, a committee member (S3) said the board is projecting to ask the county for $1,500,000 and scheduled a presentation to county commissioners for April 21 at 4:00 p.m. "We are projecting that we would be asking the county government for an increase of 1,500,000.0," the committee member said, describing the request as necessary to maintain current programs and staffing levels.

Dr. Miller (S4), presenting budget slides, said the administration is planning a 5.1% salary increase for full-time employees in year three of a negotiated agreement and expects a 9.2% rise in health-insurance costs for employees and the employer. "These two items together, we are projecting to cost approximately $2,600,000," Dr. Miller said, noting the increases reflect both negotiated steps and market pressures.

Staff also outlined instructional and program priorities to accommodate the increases, including continuation of a drivers-education program (contracted services estimated at $25,000), an AP cybersecurity course at the high school level (professional learning for existing staff), expansion of a culinary-arts classroom funded by ARC grant and Perkins match, and summer programming directed at both enrichment and targeted interventions for students with greater needs.

Board members pressed staff on program evaluation and access: principals reviewed summer-program participation and targeted intervention results, and staff said transportation was not budgeted systemwide but some principals arranged local solutions when needed. The administration said summer programming has been braided from grant and local funds and that some community schools use community-school funding to support wraparound services.

The board heard that total preliminary state and local unrestricted funding was roughly $57.7 million, with about $2.17 million restricted COP funding, for an approximate total of $59.9 million. Presenters noted that although some pre-K per-pupil allotments rose, the system expects flat overall state and local operating revenue and that a one-time disparity grant of $1.8 million received in the current fiscal year is not expected to recur.

The administration and board emphasized a combination of strategies — careful review of position requests (including one administrative position already transferred to a school), selective use of fund balance for one-time capital expenses, pursuing grant funding (including solar/decarbonization grants), and asking the county for supplemental aid — to produce a balanced FY27 budget. The proposed budget will be presented to the board as the formal proposed budget in May.