By Adam Pagnucco.
Part One outlined the largest increases in Superintendent Thomas Taylor’s recommended FY26 operating budget. Part Two examined fixed charges (employee benefits). Part Three looked at special education. Today, let’s look at textbooks and instructional supplies.
The Financial Reporting Manual for Maryland Public Schools defines category 4 (textbooks and instructional supplies) as “all supplies and materials used in support of instruction.” Taylor’s budget specifies further: “This category includes books, media materials, computer materials, art and music supplies, science and laboratory supplies, and physical education supplies. This category also includes supplies used for extracurricular activities.”
Taylor is recommending a 54% increase in textbooks and instructional supplies, by far the largest among MCPS’s major spending categories. However, he offers no specific comments about this in his budget similar to his remarks about employee benefits and special education. And the category schedule shown below reveals little about where this money is going. Almost all of it is designated for “instructional materials” and “other supplies and materials.
This is where Taylor’s new budget spreadsheets, a significant improvement in MCPS’s presentation of financial data, come into play.
Exhibit 17 lists an $11.8 million expense for elementary school curriculum materials. The exhibit’s comment states, “There is an increase to the elementary school budget for curriculum materials to purchase CKLA Curriculum license, print materials for students with disabilities and emergent multilingual learners, as well as STEM curriculum for elementary and middle schools.”
Exhibit 20 lists a $3.7 million expense for elementary school chromebook repairs. The exhibit’s comment states, “An increase in funds for chromebook repair is required to align the budget with actual expenditures to maintain devices for students. See the table below with data on the number of repairs required between FY 2022-FY 2024.”
Here is that table.
That’s a phenomenal increase in repairs in just two years. If you have an MCPS student in your house, you know how essential chromebooks are to school work. MCPS can’t ignore expenses of this kind.
The chart below shows the percentage of the MCPS operating budget going to textbooks and instructional supplies since FY05. The FY21 spike, caused by MCPS’s transition to virtual learning during the pandemic, stands out. Aside from that temporary bump, Taylor’s budget would direct the largest share of the budget to this category since before the Great Recession.
Taylor’s budget contains less data justifying this large increase than some of its other items. The school board and county council should ask whether the elementary school curriculum license, which may be driving most of this expense, is worth it. But it’s hard to argue that chromebooks should be kept in working order.
Next: maintenance of plant.