January 14, 2026 Staff and Community Update: Highlights from the Superintendent’s January 2026 Press Conference
Watch the Press Conference
Dr. Myriam Rogers held a media availability on January 14 to provide updates and information for Team BCPS.
Fiscal Year 2027 Operating Budget
- Dr. Rogers formally presented a $2.49 billion operating budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2027 to the Board of Education on January 13.
- It is important to note that the operating budget primarily focuses on the general and special revenue funds.
- The proposed FY 27 budget represents an overall $57.3 million increase in the General Fund budget (2.8 percent) and includes a projected increase of $19.9 million (2.0 percent) in alignment with the targeted increase from the Baltimore County government.
- The proposed budget preserves investments in key priority areas--academic achievement, safety and climate, and infrastructure, while prioritizing the recruitment and retention of employees through compensation enhancements.
- BCPS leadership has spent the last several months engaging the community in conversation about the budget and priority areas for our system, ensuring that there was a greater understanding of the budget process, including sources of BCPS funding and how funding is spent. We have specifically highlighted that 82 cents of every dollar in BCPS is used for employee wages and benefits, while the remaining 18 cents is used to cover all system operations.
- Our system’s key priorities and investments are all focused on moving BCPS forward. This is the third consecutive year where we were faced with a tough fiscal landscape because of the continued expansion and implementation of the Blueprint and anticipated lower federal, state, and local revenue.
- To address these budget challenges, we put several budgeting elements in place for FY 27 including: no new initiatives unless required; hiring freeze for central office and non- school-based positions; review of all contracts for renegotiation/reduction/elimination; and zero-based budgeting. With these targeted efforts, we identified $62.1 million in cost savings and reductions to fund FY 27 priorities. This is in addition to the $168.9 million in reductions that we have made over the last two fiscal years.
- With tight fiscal constraints, we have prioritized funding for year two and three of the compensation package for all represented employees. The total cost for wages and benefits is $93 million. In direct alignment with the feedback from stakeholder groups, we must prioritize investments in recruitment and retention and recognize the efforts of Team BCPS staff. What we have accomplished as a system in two years has only been possible thanks to the dedication of our staff and their intentional focus on providing high-quality instruction and support.
- The Board will hold a public hearing on January 20 and work sessions on Tuesday, January 27 and Tuesday, February 10, at 6:30 p.m. where they will discuss the proposed budget and ask questions. The Board is scheduled to vote on the budget request on February 10. The budget will then be submitted to the County Executive and County Council for approval.
- Dr. Rogers is committed to working with the Board of Education, county executive Klausmeier, members of the county council and lawmakers in Annapolis as the budget moves through the process.
BCPS Principal and Assistant Principal of the Year Nominations
- BCPS staff, parents/caregivers, and community members are invited to nominate outstanding candidates for BCPS Principal of the Year and Assistant Principal of the Year for 2026-27.
- Nominations will be open through Sunday, January 18. Finalists at the elementary, middle, and high school levels will be announced in the coming weeks, and the Principal of the Year and Assistant Principal of the Year will be named at the Champions for Children event in April.
- This is a great opportunity to recognize our dedicated BCPS leaders!
2026 BCPS Climate Survey
- The 2026 BCPS Climate Survey will be available from February 2 through March 6. BCPS students in grades 3-12, parents/caregivers, staff, and community members are encouraged to participate!
- This annual survey is an important way for us to hear from the BCPS community, learn your views and experiences, and be responsive to your feedback by taking action to improve our schools and school system. Survey feedback is used by our schools to refine School Progress Plans as well as by the system to measure our progress toward accomplishing our goals
- The survey, which will be available in multiple languages, will take three minutes or less to complete and is anonymous.