St. Mary County, MD: District expects $9.51M SPED debt amid 'escalation of need'

Oct 14, 2026, St. Mary’s Schools Report Rising Special Education Needs Amid Funding Pressures - The BayNet

EONARDTOWN, Md. — St. Mary’s County Public Schools officials reported an increase in students requiring special education services during the district’s annual special education staffing plan presentation to the Board of Education on Oct. 7, raising questions about staffing needs and funding as the school system prepares for fiscal 2028.

Superintendent Scott Smith said growing demand for special education services, combined with longstanding federal and state funding shortfalls, will require a substantially greater investment in the coming budget year. He also discussed potential changes to state funding under the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future and their implications for the district.

The Board of Education approved the staffing plan for the 2026-27 school year, an annual submission required by the Maryland State Department of Education as part of the district’s application for federal funding. The presentation outlined staffing guidelines, student support requirements and procedures for monitoring caseloads.

Growing Demand For Special Education Services

Audrey Ellis, the district’s director of special education, said St. Mary’s County Public Schools is experiencing an increase in students with individualized education programs (IEPs), including those receiving resource and inclusion services and students enrolled in regional programs requiring more intensive support.

“We are seeing an increase of students with IEPs, and sort of ranging across the board, from what we call a resource or inclusion type support model, and our regional program models,” said Ellis.

The increase is influencing ongoing evaluations of staffing needs, including adjustments to existing classroom support and anticipated requests for fiscal 2028. . . .

Funding Pressures And State Budget Concerns

The district’s growing special education needs are expected to require additional funding in fiscal 2028, as officials evaluate staffing requirements and potential changes to state support under the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future. The statewide education reform initiative includes provisions under Pillar 4 to increase funding and support for students with disabilities.

“We do see an escalation of need as well as a very historical underfunding of special education at the federal and state level, so it ultimately then falls to the local to figure out how to do it,” Smith said.

Smith said the district is approaching a point where a substantially larger investment will be necessary.

“We are reaching a real critical point where we have to put a much more substantial investment in special education in the 2028 year,” Smith said. . . .

According to a June 2025 analysis by the National Education Association, St. Mary’s County Public Schools was allocated approximately $4.52 million in federal IDEA funding, compared with an estimated $14.03 million under the law’s full-funding benchmark. The association calculated a funding gap of approximately $9.51 million for the district. The gap reflects how much less federal funding the district receives than it would if IDEA were fully funded, not a shortfall in the district’s operating budget. . . .