Budget

Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) Fiscal Year 2024 Operating Budget Request

The Board of Education of Charles County at its February meeting approved Superintendent of Schools Maria Navarro’s proposed fiscal year 2024 operating budget. The Superintendent’s $480.7 million request prioritizes employee compensation, more supports to schools, expansion of innovative programs and partnerships, and operational excellence.

Fiscal Year 2024 Budget request summary

The request totals $480,771,290 and includes a $6.1 million, or 2.9% increase over fiscal year 2023. CCPS estimates an additional $35.7 million, or 16.2 percent, in state funding. The FY 2024 base operating budget also includes the use of the $3.3 million fund balance.

Cost increases for fiscal year 2024 include rising benefit costs, funding for salary increases that are needed to meet the Blueprint requirements, additional funding to attract and retain outstanding teachers and to fairly compensate support staff. The increased funding would provide needed Youth Engagement Personnel positions at the high school level and additional administrators for elementary schools with enrollment of 600 or more students.

Included in the budget request are costs for expanding the Early College Program with the College of Southern Maryland (CSM) and utilizing the former CSM Children's Learning Center to expand prekindergarten access for students. Additional funding is needed for the summer programs and Charles County's first charter school, Phoenix International School of the Arts (PISOTA).

The Fiscal Year 2024 budget includes monies to fund $9.3 million in mandatory cost increases that are non-negotiable such as health care costs, Time to Care Act costs, bus and nurse contract increases, teacher pension costs, utilities and MABE Liability Insurance and Workers’ Compensation Premium Increase. Funding is needed to cover our costs for buses retiring from the CCPS fleet and for pay increases for contracted bus driver and bus attendants.

The proposed budget is for fiscal year 2024, which starts July 1, 2023, and ends June 30, 2024.