Superintendent of Schools Dr. Mark Bedell on Wednesday night proposed a $1.9 billion Fiscal Year 2027 operating budget to the Anne Arundel County Board of Education, directing nearly half of all new funding toward employee compensation and benefits while warning of difficult fiscal conditions ahead.
Bedell said the proposal continues a strategy of prioritizing people rather than launching large numbers of new programs as budget pressures intensify at the local, state and national levels. Nearly 49 percent of the new funding in the plan — $56.6 million — is dedicated to compensation and benefits for employees across the school system.
“Programs don’t produce results, people do,” Bedell told board members during his budget address. “I want to be clear that this work and our results are not about Mark Bedell. They are about a dedicated team of 12,000 people strong in schools, divisions and offices across our county.”
The superintendent said the investment in staff builds on salary increases totaling 18 percent over the past three fiscal years. Subject to negotiations with employee bargaining units, the proposal includes a step increase for all eligible employees and a 2 percent cost-of-living adjustment for all staff. Bedell said those measures have already contributed to reduced vacancies and improved employee retention.
“I wanted to do more, but not at the expense of existing positions,” he said. “This recommendation does not lay off a single employee.”
The operating budget also includes $2.7 million for National Board Certification stipends, reflecting growth in the number of educators earning the credential, and $510,000 for pay increases for Temporary Support Assistants.
In addition to compensation, the proposal recommends funding for 205.3 positions, with more than 96 percent involving daily interaction with students. More than 40 percent of the new positions would support students with disabilities, a population that has grown by 17 percent over the past five years.
To address that growth, Bedell included $9.7 million for 82.2 positions related to special education services. Those positions include 24 at comprehensive schools, 13.8 to expand specialized instruction and 12 in the Birth to Five program.
The spending plan also allocates $12 million to meet mandates under the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future law, including more than $6 million for 47 community schools. Additional funding highlights include $4.1 million for the New Village Academy Public Charter School, scheduled to open in August at Annapolis Mall, and $3 million for student laptops to replace Chromebooks at the high school level.
Other investments in the operating budget include $1.1 million to open the Carver Early Education Center for 120 prekindergarten students; $900,900 for 10 English Language Development teachers; and $722,130 for additional student support staff, including two school counselors, one school psychologist, one social worker and one pupil personnel worker.
Bedell cited recent academic improvements as evidence that previous investments have paid off, pointing to higher state assessment scores, Advanced Placement and SAT results, an increase in the number of five-star schools, reductions in chronic absenteeism and greater diversity in advanced coursework enrollment.
Despite those gains, Bedell repeatedly cautioned that fiscal uncertainty remains a major concern.
“As we take those next steps, however, we must do so fully aware of the fiscal uncertainty that swirls throughout our county, state and nation,” he said. “Over the last several years, we have crafted budgets aimed at long-term sustainability while talking openly about the tougher economic times that were on the horizon. Those days are here now.”
In addition to the operating budget, Bedell presented a $231.7 million capital budget recommendation for FY2027. Nearly $136 million of that total is earmarked for construction, study or design work on five major projects: Old Mill High School, $71.4 million for construction; Old Mill Middle School North, $48.2 million for construction; Ruth Parker Eason School, $4.6 million for study and design; Riviera Beach Elementary School, $4 million for study and design; and Arundel Middle School, $7.6 million for study and design.
The capital plan also includes $32.9 million for building systems renovations, $6 million for prekindergarten expansion and $6.5 million for a school bus facility and lot.
The Board of Education has scheduled two public hearings on the budget proposal. The hearings will be held Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026, at Severn Run High School and Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in the Board Room at the Parham Building in Annapolis. Both hearings begin at 6 p.m.
A public workshop is scheduled for 6 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026, in the Parham Building board room. Public testimony will be limited to two minutes per speaker, and individuals may testify at only one hearing. No budget-related testimony will be taken at the workshop or at the Feb. 18, 2026, board meeting, when the board is scheduled to adopt its budget request, unless amendments are proposed.
The Jan. 8 hearing and the Jan. 20 workshop will be broadcast live on AACPS-TV and on AACPS’ YouTube channel.
Bedell’s full Fiscal Year 2027 operating and capital budget recommendations, along with his budget address and a Budget in Brief document, will be available at www.aacps.org/fy27budget no later than Dec. 18, 2025.
