By Tara Fischer

Staff Writer

(June 11, 2026) The Worcester County Board of Education this week axed student programs and operations from its fiscal year 2027 budget after the county commissioners gave the public school system about $2.8 million less than the board had requested.

On Monday, the school board voted unanimously to reduce or eliminate funding for instructional materials, student behavioral programs, technology updates and dual-enrollment credits that, along with other cuts, will hurt students, teachers and facility support staff, board members said.

The move follows a 4-3 vote by the Worcester County Commissioners on June 2 to cut roughly $2.8 million from the school board’s request by allocating it $134.2 million and putting the balance in the county’s cash reserves.

In addition to the loss of that money, the system will receive $78,532 less than expected in state aid, school system Chief Financial Officer Vince Tolbert said, leaving the board to cut $2,876,834 in expenditures to balance the budget.

To balance its budget, the board removed roughly $300,000 in dual enrollment funding, which allows students to take college level courses that also apply to their high school diploma.

The board also eliminated a proposed student behavioral support program at a savings of $602,239, postponed buying approximately 100 iMac replacements at a cost of $218,900, abandoned a planned increase in substitute teacher pay, removed $120,660 in spending for summer and after-school programs, cuts to instructional materials and software, transportation reductions, and more than $700,000 in maintenance and operations reductions.

Tolbert said the revised budget still preserves negotiated salary increases for employees, maintains progress toward Maryland’s Blueprint requirement for a $60,000 starting teacher salary, funds bus contractor rate increases, and absorbs a 16.6% increase in health insurance costs.

The budget also preserves pre-kindergarten programs at Pocomoke Elementary School, a move school leaders said required significant sacrifices elsewhere.

Board member Jon Andes asked why the district could find money to maintain the Pocomoke Pre-K program after Pocomoke District County Commissioner Caryn Abbott voted against funding it.

Superintendent of Schools Annette Wallace replied that early childhood education is too important to eliminate. She added that losing the program would have resulted in the loss of existing positions at Pocomoke Elementary School and would have jeopardized approximately $800,000 in grant funding that would expand pre-K opportunities at Ocean City Elementary School and Showell Elementary School.

“We felt like as a team that we had to make sacrifices as an executive team to make that happen,” Wallace said.

To preserve the program, the district will defer hiring a new chief operating and human relations officer for at least six months, with those duties and responsibilities to be taken on by other members of the administration.

That job was left vacant when its former holder, Dwayne Abt, departed. While not getting into specifics, Wallace also confirmed that two additional central office reductions are planned.

Several board members expressed concern about the impact other budget moves, such as the cuts in dual-enrollment funding, will have on students.

Tolbert said the district will now be limited to funding a minimum of four dual-enrollment credits required by state regulations.

Wallace said students will lose access to additional college coursework that had helped many students, particularly first-generation college students in rural communities, move closer to earning an associate degree before graduation.

“We will not be able to offer those additional opportunities anymore,” Wallace said.

As for the delay in replacing the iMacs, Tolbert said the aging computers will be used for the time being, but they will become obsolete once they can’t support system updates.

Wallace added that the absence of updates also puts student privacy and computer security at risk and makes using them impractical.

Wallace also explained other cost-saving measures and their impact on students and the system overall:

• Reductions in spending on instructional materials — Wallace said teachers already face challenges obtaining basic classroom materials, including paper, and warned the situation would become more difficult next year.
• The elimination of the proposed RISE program — the program addresses social-emotional and behavioral needs among elementary students, many of whom continue to experience challenges tied to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Wallace said the program would have provided intensive support for students with significant behavioral needs while helping families access services not readily available in county.

“If we solve these challenges early, they don’t become bigger challenges for us later,” Wallace said.

• Maintenance budget reductions — Tolbert said much of what was cut had been intended to address years of inflationary increases in maintenance supplies and repairs.

Potential consequences include moving students to different classrooms if HVAC systems fail and repairs cannot be made. Wallace said one of two boilers at Stephen Decatur Middle School is already out of service and will remain unfixed due to budget constraints.

“We will hope that the first boiler doesn’t go out because then we will be up the creek without a paddle, I guess,” the superintendent said.

Board members also contrasted the school system’s funding situation with other county spending priorities.

School board President Todd Ferrante noted that the commissioners fully funded the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office budget, including a 14% increase, while reducing the board of education’s request.

“I think public safety and education go hand in hand,” Ferrante said. “Unfortunately, they didn’t do so for education.”

Additionally, board members highlighted what they say is a long-term trend of declining local support for education, pointing to a decrease in the county’s allocation to the school system.

Andes said Worcester County receives relatively little state aid because it is considered one of Maryland’s wealthiest jurisdictions, making county funding especially needed.

According to school officials, education received approximately 54% of county funding in the mid-1990s compared to roughly 40% today.

Tolbert said the school board’s budget requests have been reduced every year for the past four years, totaling approximately $12 million in cumulative reductions.

He added that those figures do not account for inflation, rising utility costs, insurance increases, transportation expenses, and other growing operational costs.

Andes addressed criticisms that surfaced during the budget process, defending teacher salaries, administrator compensation, and the school system’s financial management practices.

He argued that this county’s nationally recognized academic performance depends on maintaining strong staffing levels, small class sizes, and robust early childhood programs.

“We are one of the top-performing school systems in the State of Maryland,” Andes said. “In order to maintain the excellence, we have, we need to do the things we’ve always done.”

Despite approving the revised budget, several board members expressed disappointment with the outcome.

Ferrante said he hopes voters remember the funding decisions when evaluating elected officials.

“I find it deeply disappointing and frustrating that the four commissioners … voted against fully funding our budget request and have once again chosen not to make public education a priority,” Ferrante said.

“…Strong schools strengthen our work force, support our economy, enhance our property values, create opportunities for the next generation. Our students deserve leaders who recognize the reality of that and are willing to invest accordingly. As voters ahead to the polls this June, I ask them to remember who stood up for our students, who stood up for our teachers, and those who chose not to.”

Wallace pointed out that the commissioners’ decision to short the school system’s financial plan was not because of their own budgetary constraints.

“I want to make this clear to the public…times were not tough,” she said. “[The commissioners] had enough money sitting there without making any adjustments to our budget…it wasn’t tough times. It was a specific decision to make these cuts because they specifically called them out. So now here we are.”

Commissioners who voted in favor of the reductions were Caryn Abbott, Chip Bertino, Jim Bunting, and Commission President Ted Elder. Commissioners Eric Fiori, Diana Purnell, and Joseph Mitrecic voted against the cuts to the board of education’s budget.