Commissioners hear final school budget numbers

DENTON – The Caroline County Commissioners heard the final numbers from the state impacting the school district budget and an update about the 4-H Park, and saw enhanced cardiac equipment to be deployed in the county’s ambulances.

After waiting for state formula numbers for months, Caroline County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Derek Simmons and Chief Finance Officer Jill Hignutt reported the approved fiscal year 2026 budget that was completed the morning of Friday, June 27.

However, the final state numbers came in that afternoon – just ahead of the June 30 deadline. Simmons thanked County Finance Officer Daniel Fox for his help in completing the budget and the three Commissioners’ “support in meeting the fiscal challenges associated with the formulas.”

The final, balanced FY2026 CCPS budget is $5,055,105.

Hignutt said the total revenue increased by over $5 million, with the county’s local share up by more than $1.8 million and state revenue by about $3 million. Other revenue increased by more than $134,000.

Budget reductions totaling over $1 million will come from retirements, bus leases paid in full, high school credit recovery from evening school, school picture support, and lease payoffs for both the Support Services Center and an energy performance contract.

“The cost of doing business is the large portion of our additions this year,” Hignutt said. Those increases were largely salaries and benefits for all employees. Health insurance increased almost 10%. Altogether, the increases were about $4.78 million.

“The big drivers for our budget and a big priority of our (school) board is taking care of our people,” Simmons said. “We're seeing that if we focus in on the folks we currently have, it makes it easier to recruit and we also retain a lot better.”

“All employees have access to the same health insurance regardless of their classification,” he said. “We were also able to increase (support services employees’) pay and increase the number of days they work.”

“It was the right thing to do. It was the right year to do it,” Simmons said. “It's been 12 years in the making, but we're thrilled we were able to pull that off.”

Teacher salaries are about $2,000 off from the $60,000 starting salary prescribed by the “Blueprint,” and administrator salaries are more competitive with surrounding counties, he said.

The Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, passed by the Maryland General Assembly in 2021, is intended “to transform public education in the state into a world-class education system …(and) will increase education funding by $3.8 billion each year over the next 10 years,” according to blueprint.marylandpublicschools.org.

Simpson said the biggest driver of revenue increases is the county’s slowly increasing enrollment, while other state school districts have been seeing decreasing enrollment. Another factor is the increase in the Free and Reduced Meals (FARMS) population.

Commission President Travis Breeding and Vice President Larry Porter asked why the formula numbers from the state of Maryland were so late arriving.

“The formula is so complicated, they don’t even understand?” Breeding speculated. Porter was more blunt: “There’s no end to the incompetency of the state of Maryland,” he said.

Simmons said that school systems, and even the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE), were all in the same waiting mode.

Simmons speculated that the “same week that we finally got (the numbers) is the same week that the governor announced hiring freezes, and all those things hit the news,” Simmons said, adding, “That’s just my assumption.”

“So, my guess is they probably were not getting their information from (the Maryland Department of Budget and Management) because … the state was trying to do something else budget-wise. So, it held everything up,” he said.

Fox said the MSDE sent emails to the counties on Monday, June 30. He will be working to update and amend the county budget documents, which will require approval by the Commissioners.

4-H Park addition to open

In other business, Lori Bishop and Charlotte Brown updated the Commissioners on the addition to the 4-H Park at 8230 Detour Road south of Denton.

Extra bathrooms and storage space for the Extension Office and 4-H “is going to be amazing,” Bishop said. “It’s going to be a very nice addition to not have to send kids up to the main building. It's going to be right there for the campers, and where the animals are and everything.”

Brown said the restrooms failed the initial inspection, but the facility should be open in time for the Caroline-Dorchester County Fair Aug. 6-9.

The Commissioners will be on hand for a ribbon-cutting ceremony between 4:15 and 4:45 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 6. For more information about the fair, visit carolinedorchestercountyfair.com.

EMS cardiac response enhanced

Upgraded defibrillators will soon be installed in 12 emergency vehicles.

Emergency Services Division Chief Kathy Jo Marvel showed the Commissioners one of the new Stryker Lifepak 35 monitor/defibrillator units that will be able to provide a 360-degree view of the heart and transmit the information to the receiving hospital.

The department will receive a $150,000 credit for trading in the old units. The state-of-the-art units will cost $594,177. Marvel said the they should arrive the first week of August, followed by programming and “extensive training” of personnel. She said she hopes they will be in service by October or November.