PRINCE FREDERICK — Calvert County Public Schools is paying more for diesel fuel and utilities this fall, but the costs are still within budget, and the school system has money set aside if they keep climbing, finance staff told the Board of Education this month.
Chris Jewitt, presenting the financial report for the month ending Sept. 30, said the school system is seeing increases in diesel and utility costs and will keep watching them through the fiscal year. If a budget adjustment becomes necessary, she said, she will bring it to the board at a future meeting.
Diesel matters because it fuels the school bus fleet that carries most of Calvert’s students every day. A sustained jump could force the school system to move money from elsewhere in the budget or tap reserves.
A reserve for fuel
That cushion already exists. Jewitt said the school system’s committed fund balance includes a reserve set aside for fuel and other emergencies, which she called a good thing given the price swings it is seeing now.
Auditors told the board earlier in the same meeting that committed fund balance totaled about $17.8 million at the end of fiscal 2026. The school system’s overall general fund balance fell from $38.3 million to $35.2 million during the year, but it drew about $5 million from reserves instead of the $11.7 million it had budgeted, leaving $6.7 million more in reserves than planned.
The current FY2027 budget already counts on using $11.1 million of fund balance, Jewitt reminded the board.
Where the budget stands
Three months into the fiscal year, the numbers look like this:
Measure Amount Total revenue budget About $298.3 million Revenue received to date $67.2 million (23%) Revenue still to come $231 million Encumbrances outstanding $195.9 million Year-to-date encumbrances and expenses $247.8 million (83% of budget)
Jewitt said revenue is on target at about one quarter of the year’s total. The 83% spending figure is high this early because encumbrances, money committed through contracts and salaries for the full year, are counted when they are obligated, not when they are paid.
Health insurance so far
A board member noted that during budget talks, the school system expected health insurance costs to rise sharply, and asked whether the first quarter showed any sign of that. Jewitt said staff are still monitoring those costs but are not seeing a huge uptick. Health insurance, transportation and utilities are all within budget for now, she said.
The report came at a busy meeting for school finances. The board also approved an emergency $53,460 repair of the well serving Calvert Elementary and Calvert Country School, and a $190,550 design contract for a Patuxent High School stadium field house. The school system is also asking the county for a $223.8 million six-year capital plan as the state’s share of school construction costs declines.
Monthly financial reports go to the board throughout the year, and any fuel, utility or insurance overrun requiring a budget transfer would come back to the board for a vote.
