Frederick County Executive Jessica Fitzwater said disruptions to federal and state funding may have consequences for residents. Fitzwater announced her proposed $1 billion dollar budget on Tuesday.
Nearly half of the budget will fund Frederick County Public Schools. The county increased FCPS’s budget by 30% over the last three years, an $118 million investment, Fitzwater explained.
This year, $26 million will go towards paying school nurses, therapists, school resource officers and other staff or faculty. This comes as FCPS sees an influx of students, as Frederick is the fastest growing county in Maryland.
With tariffs announced last month by President Donald Trump, Fitzwater is concerned the county may be forced to spend more than it has budgeted. “We do not yet understand the full impact of this action, but we expect it will raise prices on nearly everything we buy. This will hit consumers and small businesses hard,” Fitzwater said.
While tariffs may increase the cost of everyday goods, layoffs at the federal level may cause a dramatic increase to the county’s unemployment rate, Fitzwater worries. Frederick is home to over 12,000 federal workers, comprising more than 11% of its workforce.
Fitzwater believes these layoffs will hurt Frederick’s tax base. “When the federal government lays off workers, it is laying off our friends and neighbors,” Fitzwater said.
The US Department of Education (DOE) announced last month that it would be canceling funding approved for local school systems. This jeopardizes more than $400 million across Maryland schools, according to Fitzwater, as some of that money may have already been spent.
DOE will also be cutting funding for free and reduced meals, which one-in-three students in Frederick rely on.
According to Fitzwater, the county isn’t only concerned by decisions at the federal level, but also at the state.
While the state will provide millions of dollars towards school construction and safety upgrades to US Route 15, it faces a multi-billion dollar deficit. To address this issue, the state decided to shift millions of dollars of financial responsibility onto local governments, Fitzwater explained.
That includes an approximate $5.6 million each year towards teacher pensions that the county must now cover. “The state’s decision to shift their costs onto local governments means we have less resources available to put directly into our schools,” Fitzwater said.
The Blueprint for Maryland's Future, also saw changes in this year’s General Assembly session, as lawmakers delayed portions of its implementation. Despite this, Fitzwater proposed an additional $175 million to fully or partially fund school renovation and construction projects across the county. Funds in her budget will go towards pre-design work for the replacement Brunswick High School, the limited renovation projects at Twin Ride and Hillcrest Elementary Schools and the replacement Middletown Elementary and Middle Schools.
To address extreme overcrowding at Oakdale Elementary and other surrounding schools, the county plans to fully fund Elementary School Number 41. Construction should be completed in time for the school to open its doors by August 2026.
