Frederick 2026 legislative priorities include support for a task force to study alterations to statewide education funding formula and more state investment in school construction.
Recently Frederick adopted and released a package of legislative priorities for the 2026 legislative session of the Maryland General Assembly. Funding for school operations and construction were prominent on the list from the County Executive’s Office as well as requests made specifically by Frederick County Public Schools. The document, sent to the county delegation, includes initiatives requested by the County Executive’s Office, the Frederick County Council, as well as a link to more than 50 requests compiled following outreach to roughly 150 local organizations.
Under County Executive Jessica Fitzwater’s recommendations were two school based initiatives. One, under priority legislation, was for the General Assembly to create a task force to study the current education funding formula to ensure that State school funding is being allocated in an equitable manner, particularly concerning student population growth, which has been disproportionately impacting Frederick. Another request, under position statements, was for increased investment in the State School Capital Improvement Program, citing specifically the capital improvement requirements embedded in the Blueprint law that are unfunded in the education formula, along with transportation.
MACo, for a number of years, has advocated for updates to the State share of education funding for Blueprint implementation. The sentiment is even more specifically shared around school construction, with the MACo Legislative Committee adopting an initiative for the 2026 legislative session to re-balance the state and local shares of school construction costs. Previously costs were distributed more equitably but the balance has shifted, on average, to 75 percent local contribution vs 25 percent state. This is the situation for most jurisdictions statewide but, with the amount of growth in Frederick they are in an even tighter situation, often forward funding 100 percent of a projects cost with no guarantee to be reimbursed for the state portion.
From the County Executive’s position statement on school construction:
We recognize that the State is facing a tough fiscal climate, and local governments are seeing increased operating costs due to budget cuts and projected declines in revenue. However, funding the capital needs of the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future is essential to ensure milestones can be met in a timely manner. Local governments are unable to shoulder this burden on their own.
Similar challenges were expressed by the local education agency in their communications. Below are the primary requests to the County Executive’s Office from the Frederick County Superintendent of Schools Dr. Cheryl L Dyson.
- Sustainable Blueprint Implementation Funding
- Workforce Housing and Cost-of-Living Supports
- Data Modernization and Reporting Reform
- Modernization of School Construction Funding Formulas
