Baltimore County teachers packed into Parkville High last night, warning that the school system’s proposed FY27 budget could clear out staff from classrooms and send general‑education class sizes climbing. Leaders of the Teachers Association of Baltimore County say the plan would hit student‑facing positions hardest and drag down morale across the district. Parents and educators told local officials they came ready to press the county executive for more money in hopes of avoiding job cuts and more crowded rooms.
The union told local reporters that the superintendent’s proposal would wipe out 595 positions, “including hundreds of classroom teachers,” with 111 of those reductions tied to lower enrollment, according to WBAL-TV. TABCO President Kelly Olds said boosting class sizes adds to already-full workloads and warned the district is flirting with a “breaking point.”
What’s in the superintendent’s proposal
Superintendent Dr. Myriam Rogers has put forward a $2.49 billion operating budget for Fiscal Year 2027 that cuts planned new spending from about $24 million to roughly $6 million, a reduction of nearly 73 percent, and results in a net loss of close to 600 positions, according to Baltimore County Public Schools. The blueprint also sets staffing levels that could raise general‑education class sizes to 25 students in grades 1 through 12, while keeping ratios the same for pre‑K and kindergarten, as reported by CBS Baltimore.
Union reaction at Parkville
TABCO members said they intended to line up at microphones during the county executive’s town hall to lay out those concerns directly to County Executive Kathy Klausmeier. Olds told the station she planned to ask Klausmeier to “find more money to keep educators on the job and keep class sizes low,” according to WBAL-TV. Klausmeier’s office told the outlet it remains in preliminary discussions with BCPS leadership and pointed out that the Board of Education has not yet passed its spending plan.
Classroom trade‑offs and the math behind them
District officials stress that the proposal keeps previously negotiated salary commitments intact and aims its cuts at new spending, contracts and central office expenses. The budget also leans on a one‑time use of the fund balance to soften the transition, according to Baltimore County Public Schools documents. Administrators say the staffing reductions are intended to come largely through attrition, but union leaders argue that, whatever the mechanism, the result is fewer adults in buildings to support students and the teachers in front of them.
What happens next
The Board of Education will continue hashing out the details in work sessions and is expected to vote on the FY27 operating budget in February. If the board signs off, the plan then heads to the county executive and county council for the final call on what stays and what goes, as reported by CBS Baltimore. Earlier this year, Hoodline broke down the superintendent’s initial presentation and staffing ideas in a piece on staff cuts and larger class sizes.
