Baltimore County Superintendent Myriam Rogers is seeking a $2.5 billion operating budget for the 2024-2025 school year, with investments focused on academic achievement and staff support.
Rogers’ proposed budget, presented to community stakeholders in a meeting Monday morning, reduces elementary class sizes for grades three to five and expands pre-K access with 38 new programs by next fall.
It also allocates funds for new English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) teachers and specialists to lead individualized education plans for students with disabilities.
But Rogers said her proposed budget required “tough, collaborative decisions” to make up for lost federal and state funding.
“We know that we cannot do everything at once because there are limited resources,” Rogers said. “This budget takes a thoughtful, strategic approach to helping our school system fast forward. Investments in our greatest areas of need are needed right now, simply because our students and staff can't wait.”
The September 2024 expiration of federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds and the reduction of state Blueprint for Maryland’s Future funding required over $104 million reductions in next year’s operating budget.
Rogers said the budget includes no layoffs.
“Cuts to things were made before looking at people – things like supplies, copies and travel,” she said.
After all, Rogers said, this is “the people’s budget.”
“People put this budget together; it takes people to do this work,” she said. “And without the right people, we will not achieve our goals.”
That’s why the largest investment area in Rogers’ proposal is in staff support, totaling over $95 million. One of the most celebrated inclusions is a call to hire staff development personnel to be stationed in every school building.
Maureen Astarita, principal of Parkville High School said this investment is essential.
“It shows that the county and the superintendent know the work that has to happen day-to-day in the schools to meet the varying needs of all the different staff members,” she said.
Kevin Jennings Jr., principal of Rossville Elementary School, said he is “very optimistic” about the proposed budget, especially investments in elementary school learning.
“I believe that it is the best decision that we need to make for our students and our families to be successful,” he said.
Rogers’ budget calls for a pilot program of 18 math lead teachers in county elementary schools to boost subject-specific achievement.
“The biggest investment [in academics] will be in elementary school where our students have a fresh start,” she said. “Research shows that this pays dividends for students and their future learning.”
She also plans to hire more staff to meet the needs of changing student demographics. For example, the number of ESOL students in Baltimore County schools increased by over 10% in the past year. So, Rogers’ proposed budget invests $3.5 million in hiring 35 new ESOL teachers and developing a new English language curriculum.
And the county’s nearly 16 thousand students with disabilities will gain 66 new individualized education plan (IEP) chairs to streamline the process and provide expertise.
Rogers also proposes investing in 20 new community schools, designed to be hubs for resources for students and families, in the upcoming year.
Rogers will present her budget proposal to the county board of education Tuesday night. Public hearings and work sessions will be held throughout January, with a formal recommendation submitted to the county council by late February.
