Carroll County board tentatively adopts FY2027 budget amid state law change

The Carroll County Board of Education voted to tentatively adopt its proposed FY2027 budget after a budget presentation and discussion at the May work session.

Miss Wolfe, who presented the budget, told the board the timeline calls for a tentative adoption in May followed by two public meetings — the first already advertised for May and final adoption after the June public meeting. Wolfe said the district will update revenue estimates after the state’s allotment sheet is released and noted the proposal assumes flat enrollment and no new personnel, with most increases tied to employee benefit costs and step or experience funding.

Wolfe also said Gov. Kim signed Senate Bill 33 during the legislative session, a change that removes the requirement for the estimated rollback-rate certification and opts entities into a floating homestead exemption for residential property tax calculations. “With Senate Bill 33, that opts all entities into the floating homestead exemption,” Wolfe said, and the district will update its property-tax estimate accordingly.

The proposed budget includes new state grants for mental health and literacy and a small increase in safety funding to add a school resource officer and services for hearing-impaired students. The superintendent and finance presenter said the budget is balanced as proposed and will be adjusted if state allotments come in higher than the conservative projections.

A motion to tentatively adopt the budget as presented was made and approved by voice/hand vote.

The board will host the second public meeting in June and return to final adoption after the state allotment figures are available.