A day after showing the public what she hopes to spend school funding on, Superintendent Myriam Rogers unveiled how much it will all cost at a school board meeting Tuesday evening.

Baltimore County Public School’s $2.98 billion operating budget request for fiscal year 2026 is $480 million more than last year’s. Rogers is asking for $100.3 million from the county to help with what she sees as another difficult budget season.

She said on Tuesday that district leaders thought it’d be an easier budget season given the extra funds coming from the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, landmark education reform legislation. But items like a costly staff compensation package, special education needs, pre-K expansion requirements and a huge gas and electric bill are reasons why her budget request is more than last year.

The request from the county is 10.4% more than last year’s ask.

At a Monday presentation, Rogers told an audience at George Washington Carver Center for Arts and Technology that she’s committed to funding the $61.4 million compensation package for all staff. It’s the largest part of the budget.

Kelly Olds, vice president of the county’s teachers union, thanked Rogers at Tuesday’s meeting for her commitment to the package. She said they’ll work with the county council to make sure it’ll be funded by the time it reaches their desks.

Rogers had to cut $26 million from the budget, which included 119.3 full-time positions, but she’s adding staff elsewhere, like 32 special education positions that will cost $9.6 million.

As budget season for the district is officially underway, it’ll be without a chief financial officer. The position is now vacant after the former CFO Christopher Hartlove took a job as an associate vice president at Morgan State University. A school system spokesperson said the vacancy will not impact the budget process.

The timing was coincidental, Hartlove told The Banner, and he gave the school system two months notice of his departure. Hartlove said the school system was a great organization and wishes them well.

The school board will vote on the superintendent’s proposed budget Feb. 25.

About the Education Hub

This reporting is part of The Banner’s Education Hub, community-funded journalism that provides parents with resources they need to make decisions about how their children learn. Read more.