FY27 Will See Staff Reductions

The St. Mary’s County Board of Education is expected to approve the superintendent’s proposed FY2027 budget this week following several work sessions and a public hearing at which two people testified. The finalized proposal reflects staff reductions driven by declining enrollment and decreases in federal and state funding in certain categories.

The budget funds negotiated agreements with the Education Association of St. Mary’s County and the St. Mary’s Association of Supervisors and Administrators, providing a 2% cost-of-living adjustment for employees. Contracted bus drivers and attendants will also receive wage increases, and bus drivers will receive a retention stipend. Additional major cost drivers include employee health insurance and pension expenses, which together total $8.5 million across approximately 2,300 employees. To cover those costs, the Board of Education plans to request an additional $9 million from the County Commissioners.

The proposal eliminates or reclassifies several staff positions. Twelve instructional positions are reduced due to declining enrollment, and restructuring within the building service worker team results in the elimination of two operational positions. At the same time, four special education positions—two reclassified from other roles—and one health services position are added. The net effect is a reduction of 5.51 full-time equivalent positions. State enrollment data based on a three-year rolling average shows enrollment declined by 320 students.

Reductions in grant funding will affect behavioral health and social work–related positions next school year. Funding from the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act of 2022 supported six positions through the Stronger Connections Grant. Five of those positions are slated for elimination, though “other needs that will allow for alignment of the skill set of these social workers” remain, according to Deputy Superintendent of Fiscal and Supporting Services Tammy McCourt. Maryland received more than $17 million in Stronger Connections funding as of September 2025.

Three additional social worker positions are expected to be eliminated due to reduced funding from the federal Services, Training, Officers, and Prosecutors (STOP) Violence Against Women grant. Gov. Wes Moore’s proposed FY2027 budget funds the program at roughly half of its previous level. “You will not see a proposal” to continue those positions, Superintendent Scott Smith said. “We have to protect the classroom first and make sure that instructionally we’re able to deliver.” Maryland received more than $6 million in STOP grant funding last year.

Reductions to both the Stronger Connections and STOP grants stem from federal budget decisions under the Trump administration.

Local school systems continue to face budget pressures related to mandates under the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future. State and local funding shares are determined through wealth-equalization formulas, with costs in St. Mary’s County typically split evenly. The base funding amount for K–12 students is $9,561 per pupil, with additional funds provided based on student needs. By comparison, the base funding level for prekindergarten students is $19,950 per pupil, which Smith described as a primary driver of Blueprint-related costs. Moore’s FY2027 budget increases Blueprint prekindergarten funding by nearly $85 million statewide.

The Blueprint does not fund several major cost areas, including safety and security, arts programs, extracurricular activities, technology, or transportation. While the State provides partial transportation funding, local systems must cover the majority of the cost. St. Mary’s County Public Schools required more than $16 million in local funding for transportation during the current school year. Moore’s FY2027 budget also shifts additional costs to local systems by reducing the State’s contribution to nonpublic special education placements by $22 million. Those placements include institutions such as Kennedy Krieger.

School officials said changes to the Blueprint are needed to reflect current education demands. At the same time, reductions in federal funding have increased pressure on the State budget, which faces projected structural deficits. Maryland’s revenue has also been affected by federal workforce reductions under the Trump administration.

The Board of Education is scheduled to vote on the budget Feb. 3 at 8 a.m. The agenda includes a public comment period. Comments can be emailed to boe@smcps.org at any time. Following board approval, the budget will be forwarded to the County Commissioners, who will decide whether to maintain last year’s local funding level or approve the additional $9 million requested by the school system.

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