Baltimore County school leaders scramble to fund teacher raises and close budget gap

Baltimore County Public Schools is working to finalize its budget ahead of a key vote by the County Council on Thursday.

Superintendent Dr. Myriam Rogers said her team has spent the past few months pushing for a larger budget. But they received only a portion of what they asked for from the county executive, forcing the district to rework its financial plans.

"Tomorrow afternoon, the Baltimore County Council will vote on the fiscal year 2026 operating budget," Rogers said.

Rogers' staff has been analyzing numbers to close a wide funding gap and determine how to honor a previously negotiated three-year compensation package for teachers.

"We have been hard at work night and day. The budget team has run and re-run numbers," Rogers said.

No specific dollar figures have been shared before the Thursday vote. Rogers and her team are expected to present the revised proposal to the Baltimore County Council before the vote.

Rogers added that every dollar in the request is essential.

"As every dollar in the request is needed to deliver the best possible education for 110,000 students and to move our system forward," Rogers said.

Baltimore County teachers seek salary increases

Cindy Sexton, president of the Teachers Association of Baltimore County, said educators are feeling the strain.

"There are teachers who are ready to resign, so a lot is going on, and of course, money is not the only issue," Sexton said. "We know that teaching is hard work."

The compensation package was meant to increase salaries over three years, but financial uncertainty at the state and federal levels has put that promise at risk.

"There is anger, there is angst, there is disappointment, there is frustration," Sexton said. "There are all of those things because, as I just said, we had a three-year deal."

Still, Rogers remains optimistic.

"With the additional state funds we have confirmed are available to BCPS for FY26 and further savings measures, I am confident that we will decrease the funding gap and finalize a compensation package for our dedicated BCPS staff members that is comparable to county government," she said.