Faced with overdue salary raises, shrinking enrollment and a hit to funding for free student meals, Baltimore County Public Schools Superintendent Myriam Rogers will propose a spending plan that saves $59 million by eliminating more than 600 jobs.

Those kinds of cuts are necessary, Rogers told an audience of school system employees and public officials Monday at George Washington Carver Center for Arts and Technology, to have a balanced budget for next school year.

Rogers told the audience that it’s a challenging time fiscally, socially and politically, but she’s committed to keeping students first.

“Do I want more? Absolutely,” she said. “But we have to face our fiscal realities, and it is prudent of us to move forward with a budget that is balanced, that addresses all of the information that we have received.”

As has been her tradition for the last three years, Rogers highlighted challenges and new costs ahead of Tuesday’s school board meeting, when she’ll reveal the dollar amount she’s asking for.

For now, here’s a glimpse at her spending plan, by the numbers.

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$93 million

That’s how much it’ll cost to pay for salary increases and benefits for about 20,000 staff members next school year, including overdue raises. Rogers agreed to the three-year compensation deal in 2023. She said families and staff who were surveyed about the budget wanted to see those raises prioritized.

But the compensation package left a $40 million gap in the budget. Cuts had to be made elsewhere to fund it.

$15.8 million

That’s how much the school system stands to lose from a drop in enrollment and changes to a federal program that helps feed students from low-income families.

Baltimore County, the third-largest school district in Maryland, has unexpectedly lost 2,049 students since last school year; the system now has just over 108,000 kids. Fewer kids means less money from the state. Rogers and other Maryland superintendents sent a letter to the governor requesting he stabilize the school district’s funding for a year.

Rogers also hopes the state can step in to feed hungry kids. President Donald Trump’s administration last summer made significant cuts to the Medicaid and food stamps programs. That impacts the free meals Baltimore County schools give to students.

“Because every risk is magnified when you look at one of the largest school systems in the state,” she said.

$59 million

That’s how much the school system will save by cutting nearly 600 positions, more than 111 of which are school-based.

Here are some of the jobs on the chopping block, by the number of full-time-equivalent positions:

• 36 in the central office
• 40 assistant principals
• 23.3 in staff development
• 12.3 in secondary reading
• 5.2 in the online learning program

She pushed 41.6 positions off to grants: 10 counselors and seven reading specialists, for example.

$6.4 million

That’s the amount earmarked for new items in Rogers’ spending plan.

It includes $3.5 million and 30 jobs for two new charter schools that are coming to the school district: Bilingual Global Citizens Public Charter School, which struggled getting off the ground, with 192 students, and Puzzle Pieces Learning Academy, with 135 students.

The budget also adds 12 new building service workers to cover the increased square footage of Dundalk High School, Lansdowne High School and Deer Park Elementary School, as well as 20 new special education roles: nine paraeducators and 11 teachers.

$2.6 million

That’s the value of Baltimore County schools’ contract with weapons-detection company Omnilert, a deal that ends in May 2027. The school system’s budget survey asked families and staff whether they thought the system should continue funding the AI-powered software.

The technology came under fire in the fall after a false alarm resulted in police pointing their guns at a teen who was holding only a bag of chips. The superintendent said that an overwhelming majority requested to keep the tech, including 80% of principals.

Rogers said her spending plan keeps safety costs the same.

$30 million

The county government, Rogers said, has already agreed to give the school system almost $30 million more than it did last year.

In addition, Rogers said she would use $50 million in surplus funds toward next school year’s budget. It’s essentially a rainy-day fund the school system maintains in case unexpected costs arise, made up of leftover money from previous school years. Only $33.4 million was used during fiscal year 2026.

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.