TOWSON, MD—Baltimore County Public Schools Superintendent Myriam Rogers has proposed a $2.98 billion operating budget for fiscal year 2026, a $126.4 million increase over the current year. The proposal, presented Jan. 14 to the Board of Education, aims to address the needs of the system’s 110,000 students and prioritize recruitment and retention of its more than 20,000 staff members.

The proposed budget prioritizes four key areas: academic achievement, infrastructure, safety and climate, and highly effective staff. Rogers emphasized the importance of continued investment in these areas to build upon the progress made in the past two years.

“In less than two years, Team BCPS has demonstrated that resources invested in people with a clear plan executed with fidelity produces positive outcomes,” Rogers said. She highlighted the need to reverse the trajectory of academic decline and ensure Baltimore County Public Schools provides a high-quality education to every student.

Key investments outlined in the budget include salary enhancements for all staff, increasing the number of special education teachers and support staff, maintaining current class size averages, expanding full-day pre-kindergarten classes, and prioritizing infrastructure and cybersecurity. The budget also proposes funding for additional athletic trainers. The budget also includes funding to accelerate student learning and achievement in key academic priority areas, including English language arts, mathematics, English language development (formerly English for Speakers of Other Languages), and special education.

Despite facing challenges such as the loss of federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds and uncertainty surrounding state funding, the school system has identified more than $26 million in reductions through zero-based budgeting, maximizing grant funding, and implementing a central office hiring freeze. This comes in addition to $104 million in savings identified last year.

The public will have an opportunity to share their feedback on the proposed budget during a virtual hearing Jan. 21 at 6:30 p.m. The Board of Education will then hold a work session Jan. 28 and is scheduled to adopt the budget at its Feb. 25 meeting.

This article was written with the assistance of AI and reviewed by a human editor.