The Carroll County Board of Education, recognizing budget stresses caused by the need to meet State-imposed mandates under the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, narrowly approved a budget request for $57 million more than their prior allocation. The Blueprint program is still less than halfway through its ten-year phase-in timeline.

At its February 18 meeting, the Carroll County Board of Education reviewed the dramatic effects of achieving goals within the statewide education plan, the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future. Eventually, it adopted a budget request seeking a dramatic increase in county funding. The approved budget request increased the county funding request to $296,001,610 ($57,000,000 above FY 2025 funding), a 23.5% increase over last year. The budget proposal will be submitted to the Carroll County Commissioners later this month.

The Board meeting was livestreamed on the Board’s YouTube site, and the stream remains available online.

From Baltimore Sun coverage of the final proposed budget:

The Carroll County Board of Education, in a 3-2 vote Tuesday, approved a fiscal 2026 budget plan that asks the county for $57 million, which would help keep Outdoor School, give every third- through fifth-grader a laptop, and fulfill union contracts with employees.

Included in the request is $13 million to continue funding programs that would otherwise be eliminated and a $44 million intended to negate some of the impacts of the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future state mandates.

The funding sought for schools is summarized in documents on the school system website:

At a special Board of Education meeting on February 18, 2025, the Board made several changes to the Superintendent’s Proposed FY 2026 Operating Budget. The Board then adopted the revised budget as its preliminary FY 2026 operating budget and request for county funding.

Summary of Board of Education Budget Changes and Revised Total Proposed Operating Budget

The Superintendent’s Proposed FY 2026 Operating Budget was presented at the Board of Education meeting on January 29, 2025.

Superintendent’s Proposed FY 2026 Operating Budget Summary

Superintendent’s Proposed FY 2026 Operating Budget

FY 2026 Proposed Operating Budget Presentation