Q: What are the financial implications of a charter school?

CEC’s mission is strictly surrounding ensuring CCPS has the funding and staffing to carry out their mission of educating our children. We are posting this information that was shared at the April BOE meeting because we have received multiple questions regarding the financial implications of a charter school. The CEC is posting facts here, as presented at the BOE meeting, to inform the public and makes no statement in support of or against the charter school application.

A section on the April BOE meeting was dedicated to discussing the legal requirements and application process for charter schools in Maryland beginning at 1:49:20 in the recording (watch it at the link below).

The Carroll Learning Alliance, which is a non-profit, has applied to open a charter school. The Carroll Learning Alliance would be the operator of a proposed charter school called the Carroll Classical Charter School. The school would open for the 2026-27 school year if a charter is approved. CCPS received their charter school application on March 31, 2025. The timeline is 120 days so a decision must be made by the BOE by July 29.

The application will be reviewed by a Review Committee, largely made of the Superintendent’s Cabinet and potentially content experts based on the application evaluation criteria.

Mr. O’Meally, Legal Counsel for CCPS, comments on the legal requirements:

“A County BOE must fund a public charter school an amount of county, state, and federal money that is commensurate with the amount disbursed to other public schools in the system. The state developed a funding formula that we use where we look at roughly 98% of the average per pupil expenditure would go on a per pupil basis to a public charter school.”

Public charter schools are subject to funding and school-level expenditure reporting by program areas under the Blueprint.

As Mr. O’Meally summarizes, the State BOE has repeatedly issued positions: “Charter schools are public schools that are part of the local school system and serve the school system's students. The charter schools receive commensurate funding for the students enrolled in the system. Local BOEs cannot look at the funding of a school system as a whole when making a decision to allow or deny a charter school. Funding a charter school cannot accurately be considered as a loss of dollars to our schools.”

“It’s not a question of whether we like charter schools or don’t like charter schools. It’s not a question of whether this is not the right time or it is the right time. The question is, does it rise or fall on the merits in accordance with our policy, our procedures, and state law. It’s an objective process.”

Charter school operators would secure the charter school building using some combination of the per pupil funding, grants, or donations. Public charter schools may engage in fundraising like PTAs engage in fundraising.

Maryland law is clear that a public charter school is nonsectarian in all of its programs, policies, and operations.

Parents choose to have students attend tuition free and is open to all applicable grade level students on a space-available basis.

Any public charter school in MD has to adhere to all Federal and State laws dealing with discrimination, and that would include the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Title IX, etc. We cannot discriminate in our programs or our offerings, whether to students or to employees.

Employees at a Maryland public charter school are public school employees, subject to the same collective bargaining agreements, pay scales, terms and conditions of employment. They, including teachers, staff, the principal, would be employees of the Board of Education of Carroll County.

The decision of the county BOE may be appealed to the State BOE for review.

Q: Do we know when we should anticipate the Commissioners to make a decision about the requested funding for CCPS?
In addition, can you provide insight into the following scenarios:

Best case scenario (A): the requested funding is approved. What’s next? Does everything remain intact and if so for how long?

Scenario (B): partial funding is approved. What’s next? Does the board present a new plan of adjustments for consideration?

Worst case scenario (C): additional funding is denied. What’s next?

A: The FY26 county-level budget process is really year-round but the “public portion” begins in March 2025. At that time, the Carroll County Bureau of Budget will provide a recommended FY26 budget to the Carroll County Commissioners. The Commissioners will hold agency budget hearings (all the agencies that receive funding from the county – schools, EMS, Sheriff, etc) during March and proposed budget work sessions throughout April. At the end of April, the Bureau of Budget takes the proposed budget on what they call a “roadshow,” hosting meetings at local libraries throughout the county and giving residents a chance to ask questions. The Commissioners will hold a proposed budget hearing on Tuesday, May 6, 2025 at 7pm at the Carroll Arts Center (mark it on your calendar now) and have additional adopted budget work sessions in May. Currently the Commissioners are scheduled to vote to adopt the budget on Thursday, May 22, 2025. Note: Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) starts July 1, 2025 and runs through June 30, 2026.
To expand on your specific scenarios:

Scenario A: The requested $57 million in funding is approved by Carroll County.

If the entire $57 million of requested funding is approved by the Carroll County Commissioners, CCPS will have the money to keep the school system operating as it is now.

Of the $57 million in the ask, $7.2 million (a 3% increase from last year) was already agreed upon by the Board of Education and the Commissioners as increased funding for CCPS in FY26.

Of the $57 million, $5.8 million (additional beyond the $7.2 already discussed between the BOE and the County) is needed for the CCPS FY26 Operating Budget:

* Pay the remaining 3 employee unions per their negotiated contracts

* Keep Outdoor School for the 2025-2026 school year (FY26 budget year)

* Continue providing 1:1 laptop computer for all students in grades 3-5

* Satisfy the transportation (bus driver) salary increase at the agreed upon 5% increase, rather than decreasing it to 3%

* Not having to use Fund Balance (rainy day funds) to pay for utility cost increases being phased in

Of the $57 million requested, $44 million is needed for Blueprint Fiscal Compliance:

* Keeping the 92 positions that have been eliminated

* Preventing 90 staff members from being shifted to different schools within CCPS

* Maintaining variety of course offerings at middle and high schools

* Hiring additional staff so that more supports can be established at the schools in most need, as required by Blueprint Fiscal Compliance.

Scenario B: Some amount of the requested $57 million funding is approved by Carroll County.

If some funding is approved, the Board of Education would need to meet again in mid-to-late May to determine what the priorities are for the approved funding. Any of the bulleted items above would be open for discussion. The BOE would need to cut the bulleted items above to balance the operating budget. Without the additional $44 million, there will be elimination of staff positions and moving and/or repurposing of other staff within the school system.

Scenario C: The requested $57 million funding is denied by Carroll County.

That $57 million request included $7.2 million (a 3% increase from last year) already discussed between the BOE and Commissioners. In the event the County only gives the $7.2 million increase from last year, the BOE would be unable to fund all of the bulleted items above. To say it simply, if the additional funding request is denied, the three staff union contracts would need to be renegotiated, Outdoor School would be eliminated, 1:1 laptop computers would be cut for grades 3-5, the transportation salary increase would only be 3%, fund balance would be used to pay for the increased utility cost, 92 staff positions would be eliminated, 90 staff positions would be moved or repurposed, and course offerings at the middle and high schools would decrease.

The caveat to all of this is any amendment or increased flexibility to the Blueprint law at the state level that passes during this Legislative session in Annapolis (ends April 7, 2025). Our team is watching the bills and any proposed amendments. We have submitted testimony already and are planning to collaborate with other advocacy organizations from other areas of the state in the effort.

Q: Is Outdoor School still closing?

A: We won't know the answer to this question until we see what level of funding the County Commissioners decide to allocate to CCPS.

If the BOE's request were fully funded, Outdoor School should continue as a program.

If the Commissioners were to approve just the $13 million request (for the Operating Budget), then Outdoor School may continue, at least for the 2025-2026 school year, but it will depend on how the BOE decides to use the funds allocated to it.

If the Commissioners do not approve any of the funds requested by the BOE, we expect that Outdoor School will be closed (and many other priorities/staff will be impacted).

Q: Has the county looked into applying for grants to help pay for outdoor school? Other counties have their students attend private outdoor schools with grants/donations.

A: This was discussed at the February 12, 2025 BOE meeting. At 3:30:25 in the video, the BOE discusses what it would look like funding Outdoor School with a fund, foundation, or grant. During the conversation, they also discuss the idea of keeping Outdoor School in exchange for giving up 1:1 laptops for middle schoolers. They discussed the challenges of raising enough money through donations to run Outdoor School since it's a $1.1m budget item.

Outdoor School options (day options, charging a fee to attend) is discussed starting at 3:19:00. Turning Outdoor School into a during-the-day-only program doesn't end up saving significant money because of the cost to bus students daily. As discussed in the video, having students who want to participate pay a fee seemed cost prohibitive and not feasible from a budget or planning standpoint either.