Carroll County schools consider cutting 92 positions to comply with Maryland Blueprint plan
The Carroll County Board of Education plans to ask the county commission for additional funding, which could save several positions that are on the brink of getting cut.
With the school budget deadline approaching, the school board is considering cutting more than 90 positions over the next two school years to become fiscally compliant under the "Blueprint for Maryland's Future" plan.
The education reform plan was created under a bill passed by the Maryland General Assembly in 2021. The plan increases state funding for education over 10 years with the goal of transforming the state's education system.
Under the plan, Carroll County Superintendent Cynthia McCabe said the district has three years to become fiscally compliant with the 2024-25 school year serving as year one. To reach compliance, the district will have to shift $44 million in school-based expenditures, including $5 million in services for multilingual learners.
According to McCabe, the district plans to become 50% compliant by the 2025-26 school year, or year two, by implementing significant changes to staffing in high schools. Year three will bring staffing changes for elementary schools, McCabe said.
"The process we must undertake to meet blueprint fiscal compliance is very involved," McCabe said during a school board meeting. "It involves labor management and collective bargaining considerations, school resource and staffing changes, class size changes and changes to course offerings."
During the meeting, school board officials said they would be eliminating 92 classroom positions and moving an additional 90 staff members with the implementation of new classroom allocation standards. The cuts would address a $27 million compensatory education gap.
School counselors and reading and math specialists would be cut under the proposed plan.
Board officials also said they could reduce high school course offerings, which would require eliminating, reducing, or modifying another 100 positions.
Within the next two years, 280 positions will look different, according to Assistant Superintendent of Instruction Nicholas Shockney.
"That's where the unprecedented changes will come, and that's where there will be tremendous challenges and things to work through," Shockney said.
A decision and finalized budget are imminent. Parents say the school board needs to find another solution.
"What we're asking is for the BOE to step back, do what every other county in the state has done and figure it out," parent Sarah McGee said. "You waited this long…guess what? It's time to figure it out."
Opposing the budget cuts
Carroll County parents, a part of the newly formed Carroll Education Coalition, gathered outside the school district office, to let school board members know they do not support the proposed budget cuts.
"Cutting more staff will destroy our schools and will destroy our community. We cannot allow any more cuts in this county," said parent Amy Hardesty.
Critics claim the massive cuts would create larger class sizes and offer fewer resources to students, while also reallocating staff positions throughout the district.
"People will not want to move here," McGee said. "We will have less tax money because people will move out. Our housing prices are going to go down. And most importantly, our children and our students' futures are going to be in jeopardy because of the choices they are making."
The parents plan to continue the fight on behalf of all Maryland students and will bring their concerns to the General Assembly in Annapolis on Wednesday.
Previous staffing cuts
According to Shockney the district made $40 million in cuts between 2009 and 2019 and does not have any other positions that can be cut. In those 10 years, the district eliminated 375 positions and three schools were closed as a result.
In 2023, Superintendent McCabe addressed her worries about teacher shortages as the district completed construction on a new middle school building.
"We are seeing teacher shortages. At this point, we still have about 20 teaching positions that are open," she told WJZ. "I know that might sound like a small amount given that some of our neighboring districts have many more positions open, but for us that's significant."
