FY27 Operating Budget Updates

January 13, 2026 – Board of Education Budget Work Sessions to Begin Jan. 15, 2026

The Board of Education will hold its first public budget work session Thursday, Jan. 15 at 1 p.m. Work sessions are open to the public, however members of the public may not participate. Work sessions may be viewed live or on-demand online, and during and after each meeting on Howard County Comcast channel 95 or Verizon channel 42.

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January 9, 2026 – Superintendent’s Proposed Budget Toolkit Now Available

The Proposed Budget Toolkit was created to help HCPSS stakeholders more easily understand the Superintendent’s FY 2027 Proposed Operating Budget without having to navigate the 700-page budget book.

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January 8, 2026 – HCPSS Superintendent Presents Proposed FY 2027 Operating Budget

On Jan. 8, HCPSS Superintendent Bill Barnes presented his proposed operating budget for fiscal year 2026-2027 (FY 2027). In total, the Superintendent’s Proposed FY 2027 Operating Budget is $1.278 billion, which reflects an increase of $61.9 million, or 5.1% over fiscal year 2026. The proposed budget emphasizes maximizing and tactically reallocating certain existing positions and resources, prioritizing critical funding investments in high priority needs aligned to the HCPSS Strategic Plan.

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November 24, 2025 – Howard County First FY27 Residents’ Budget Hearing, Dec. 18

Howard County Executive Calvin Ball will hold his first Residents’ Budget Hearing for the Fiscal Year 2027 (FY27) budget cycle on Thursday, Dec. 18 at 6 p.m. The hearing will be held virtually. Residents who wish to speak at the hearing can sign up online, or can submit online testimony.

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September 30, 2025 – HCPSS Presents Fiscal Outlook for FY 2027 Operating Budget

At the Sept. 25 Board of Education meeting, HCPSS Executive Director of Budget Darin Conforti presented the outlook for the Fiscal Year 2027 (FY27) Operating Budget. As the report recalls, recent budget cycles have presented significant challenges. While funding increases from the State and County have reached historic levels, expenditure growth has consistently outpaced revenue growth. As a result, the school system has been in the difficult position of reducing services to partially fund necessary growth.