County billed for private pre-K local share as participation lags; staff cite regulatory barriers

Superintendent McCabe explained why the county receives a bill for private prekindergarten slots under the state's Blueprint program and said the state recently raised the per-pupil amount, increasing the county's local-share obligation.

"You get the bill for private prek students in Carroll County because they're not CCPS students and the goal of blueprint was to increase public school enrollment and private prek enrollment at the same time," McCabe said, describing the state's logic for billing the county for the local share when private providers accept Blueprint funds.

Staff and county representatives said private-provider participation has remained small and uneven: the transcript records 56 private slots and three providers in one recent year and four providers and 60'69 slots in subsequent years. Local staff cited regulatory constraints that make participation unattractive to private operators, including certification pathways for teachers and restrictions on curricular choices.

"If you're a religious prek provider, you wouldn't necessarily be able to teach the religious portions of your curriculum," McCabe said, illustrating one reason some private providers choose not to enroll in the program.

Officials said they will continue recruitment efforts and monitor provider interest, but warned that higher per-pupil targets and an increased local share could limit the board's flexibility in using local funds for other priorities.

The joint meeting closed after that discussion; commissioners and school staff suggested forming a small work group to align CIP, enrollment data and facility planning.