As the Frederick County Board of Education finalized its $1.3 billion budget on Wednesday, board members said the system is experiencing growing pains.
Frederick County Public Schools (FCPS) remain the fastest growing in the state, with nearly 50,000 students now. More students means more resources, and that growth is having an impact on every aspect of the budget.
| FY2026 Operating Budget | $970,236,964 |
| FY2026 Self-Insurance Fund | $178,417,900 |
| FY2026 Food & Nutrition Services | $22,319,518 |
| FY2026 Capital Budget | $172,901,868 |
| FY2026 Artificial Turf Fund | $780,000 |
| Total FY2026 Budgets | $1,344,656,250 |
Operating Budget
Over 85% of FCPS’s operating budget goes towards paying teachers. Despite this, Board President Rae Gallagher says pay has always been an issue.
FCPS is falling behind the Blueprint for Maryland's Future, Gallagher explained, a state funding formula designed to improve schools. “One of the goals is to get to a starting salary of sixty thousand dollars for teachers,” Gallagher said. “We needed to do a six percent increase over this year and next year.”
The board could only afford a 2% increase this year, and Gallagher is concerned the school won’t be able to make up the difference next budget season.
The state doesn’t take into account how fast Frederick is growing, Gallagher explained. “Each year we get our funding, it’s based on last year's student count,” Gallagher said. “So if we have increased students by one thousand, we won’t see that until the following year.”
Self-Insurance Fund
While FCPS is falling behind on teacher pay, teachers will also see a 4.5% and 1.5% increase to their medical and dental premiums respectively.
Food & Nutrition Services
According to Robert Kelly, FCPS’s Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) Director, nearly half of their $22 million budget goes towards buying healthy food for student meals.
FCPS serves nearly 28,000 meals per day, yet cuts to federal funding have impacted their free and reduced meal program. In the coming school year, families will see a $0.15 increase to the price of student meals.
| Meal Prices | |
| Elementary Breakfast | $1.75 |
| Secondary Breakfast | $2.00 |
| Elementary Lunch | $2.80 |
| Secondary Lunch | $3.05 |
| **Meal prices reflect an increase of $0.15 |
Kelly says the school system may be able to outgrow the loss of funding. “Our goal is to serve more meals to more students in the upcoming school year, which would increase our revenue source,” Kelly explained. “So that would offset that loss of funding from the program.”
Capital Budget
Despite the challenges the board has faced, the $172 million FY2026 Capital Budget includes funding for five new construction projects as well as eight building improvements.
FCPS schools have seen an increase in classroom sizes, with some reaching 30 to 40 students. The projects seek to renovate, replace or build new schools to combat overcrowding.
| Brunswick HS: Replacement Design: | Estimated open August of 2030 |
| Middletown Co-Located Elementary and Middle Schools: | Estimated completed August 2027 |
| New Elementary School #41: | Completed August 2026 |
| Yellow Springs Elementary School: | Estimated August 2026 |
| New Construction/Additions | |||
| Brunswick HS: Replacement Design: | $2,713,847 | $2,713,847 | $5,427,694 |
| Middletown Co-Located Elementary and Middle Schools: | $38,817,681 | $19,260,000 | $58,077,681 |
| New Elementary School #41: | $63,158,639 | $3,780,620 | $66,939,259 |
| Yellow Springs Elementary School: | $9,179,808 | - | $9,179,808 |
| FCPS Bus Facility | $1,500,000 | - | $1,500,000 |
| Building and Site Improvements | |
| Twin Ridge ES: Limited Renovations | $20,752,658 |
| Hillcrest ES: Limited Renovations | $5,000,000 |
| Systemic Contingency | $750,000 |
| Buses | $460,000 |
| FY26 Portable Classrooms | $2,500,000 |
| Oakdale ES: Playground Equipment Replacement | $350,000 |
| Systemics - Generic | $1,378,080 |
| Technology in the Classroom | $400,000 |
Artificial Turf Fund
$780,000 was set aside to replace the turf field at Urbana Highschool in 2026. Board Member Colt Black voted against the use of funds, citing concerns over safety and the cost of upkeep. “The National Football League is moving away from artificial turf fields,” Black said. “The injuries sustained on artificial turf are astronomically higher than traditional grass.”
Board President Rae Gallagher is concerned the challenges FCPS faced this budget season may only grow come the next budget.
