Anne Arundel County's Board of Education just signed off on a $1.92 billion operating budget request for Fiscal Year 2027, plus a $246 million capital budget request, sending both to County Executive Steuart Pittman for the next round of scrutiny. The proposal piles in new staff, pay bumps, and big-ticket construction projects, setting up what is likely to be a lively, months-long debate over how much the county is willing to spend on its schools. District leaders are pitching the plan as a way to shield classrooms while wrestling with rising costs.
Board sign-off and what happens next
According to Anne Arundel County Public Schools, the Board adopted 14 of the 15 amendments recommended by Superintendent Dr. Mark Bedell, tacking about $23.5 million onto his original proposal. The package now heads to Pittman as he builds the county's FY2027 budget.
Under the timeline laid out by the district, the county executive is slated to release his recommendations in May. The County Council will then hold public hearings before taking final action on June 15, and the Board plans to adopt its final school budget on June 17, 2026.
How much bigger is this budget?
The operating request comes in about $139.7 million higher than the current FY2026 budget and calls for roughly 147 additional positions, more than 96 percent of which would work directly with students daily, as CBS Baltimore reports. District leaders say the staffing push and other adjustments are meant to shore up student supports after years of relatively tight growth.
To make room for their priorities, Board members also cut 58 positions from the superintendent’s December proposal, attempting to keep the expansion in check while still funding immediate needs.
Big builds, pre-K expansion and facilities
On the bricks-and-mortar side, the capital budget request leans heavily on the Old Mill complex. Major items include $71.4 million to construct the new Old Mill High School and $48.2 million for Old Mill Middle School North, along with study and design money for Ruth Parker Eason and Riviera Beach Elementary, according to Anne Arundel County Public Schools.
The plan also sets aside funding for a second gym at Southern High, field houses at Arundel and Chesapeake high schools, $32.9 million for building renovations across the district, $6 million to expand pre-kindergarten, and $6.5 million for a new bus facility.
Raises, programs and smaller upgrades
Board-sponsored amendments add roughly $11 million to the operating request, including an extra 1 percent cost-of-living adjustment totaling about $10,140,176 and a bump in pay for Temporary Support Assistants to $18 an hour, CBS Baltimore detailed.
Board members also steered money toward K-5 and 6-12 music programs and co-curricular transportation, along with targeted facility upgrades such as a greenhouse update at Southern High. On top of that, Superintendent Bedell's amendments include additional funding to cover projected increases in employee health care costs and laptops for high school students.
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