[{"_1":2,"_86":-5,"_87":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6264536,"mediaKeyId","3095935-45ac82c75b3b6bcf72c62affd9e0836f","parentId",3095935,"title","Kent County superintendent proposes 36 teaching cuts as enrollment falls and COVID aid sunsets","audioSeconds",1271,"startMs",609000,"endMs",1880000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3095935-45ac82c75b3b6bcf72c62affd9e0836f&start=609&end=1880","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3095935-45ac82c75b3b6bcf72c62affd9e0836f/thumbnail_609000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6264536/Kent-County/Maryland/Kent-County-superintendent-proposes-36-teaching-cuts-as-enrollment-falls-and-COVID-aid-sunsets","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6264536-78c7bc0b08c01dfc310ac34eb371ba78/orig.mp4?Expires=1771162898&Signature=f4JuVs7DtK1o6cF67nsfSTGFPFoNhU9PKJm8kuObDNFPDao5bSTnNgOeI54gDtO1DogF8z-SX-lf0Ih9d2w1Ys2zd5o4ATUEW~VQjqz2J-gXYbZz5TK6p-FXi~fxUVneWSeV6ajd6w0WOX7ISZuTHp16uXCUSLndaxtHMajN75FssDKg3wqHTVS05rTPEnSJk3cFNdqjCWOi4hDJwzwandfHDsCbKPqrjkmsfAocFpkTl5LH6Yl4pKa2JUvBjP5rR6LteppLpr8UkvbgtCY1brdH0GPSrVy4boVVkq382wLuJq2gf~LVcUPRx1-479p98Qute52V~QZgtgeLoV8LyQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Kent County, MD","date","2025-04-23T16:38:01.09Z","article","Dr. Mary McComas, superintendent of Kent County Public Schools, told county officials that declining enrollment and the end of pandemic-era grant funding have put the school system on a fiscal \"cliff\" and that the district will need to reduce staff to balance recurring costs.

Dr. McComas said the district has lost 224 students over the last five years. \"If we had those students, that would have brought in $3,100,000 in just foundational funding,\" she said, citing analysis of per-pupil and compensatory-education funding. She said that $2,000,000 would have come as per-pupil funding and about $1,100,000 as compensatory education funding under the district’s calculations.

The superintendent said pandemic-era emergency COVID grants — which she said totaled $15,000,008.44 over a roughly four-year period — have been exhausted and that the district used those funds to stabilize operations during and following the pandemic. She told county officials those one-time funds could not close the school system’s recurring deficit.

To address recurring shortfalls, Dr. McComas said she plans to reduce at least 36 positions, the large majority of which would be teachers. She estimated a general planning value of about $100,000 per position for budgeting purposes and said closing the entire deficit through positions alone would require roughly 43 reductions. She said the district is offering a retirement incentive with a decision deadline in early May (the superintendent indicated May 12 as a likely date) and will use normal attrition where possible before pursuing reductions under contractual reduction-in-force procedures.

Dr. McComas said she proposes to use $1,000,000 of the district’s $1,500,000 fund balance toward the budget while maintaining the $500,000 board policy reserve. She also said the district trimmed non-personnel spending by just over $500,000 this budget cycle and had cut $700,000 in non-personnel items two years earlier, for a total of about $1.2 million in non-personnel reductions over 24 months.

The superintendent presented student-achievement data she said show notable gains after pandemic disruption: a near 20-percentage-point improvement in third-grade literacy over 24 months and roughly a 15-point gain in third-grade mathematics for the same cohort. She credited investments in reading instruction, including Orton-Gillingham training paid for with one-time funds, for part of that improvement.

Dr. McComas and Alyssa Stewart, the district’s director of budget and finance, clarified that the 36 positions being considered for reduction are general operating positions sustained during the period the district used COVID funds elsewhere; those teacher positions were not direct grant-funded positions, the superintendent said.

Other items discussed included a small unreimbursed COVID-related liability the superintendent said is about $7,900, chronic absenteeism that rose during winter months (the district said it is working with judges and plans interventions), and calendar and timeline items: the district will hold a virtual town hall May 1, the school board will vote on its budget May 5, and Dr. McComas said she would return to the county on May 6 to report the outcome.

Ending: Commissioners and other officials praised the superintendent’s detailed work, encouraged the district to use one-time funds where sensible, and said the county would consider fund-balance support if an emergency arises. The board later moved to a closed session to discuss personnel matters.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","04.22.25 Budget Work Session 1","oneSentenceSummary","Superintendent Dr. Mary McComas told county officials that Kent County Public Schools face a structural deficit driven by a five-year enrollment decline of 224 students and the expiration of pandemic-era grants. She outlined plans to reduce at least 36 teaching positions, use part of the fund balance and offer a retirement incentive.","taxTitle","Kent County, Maryland","taxId",69327,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":79,"_47":80,"_49":81,"_51":82,"_53":83,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":84,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":85,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6264541,"Kent County soil conservation leaders ask for budget flexibility as federal staff cuts shrink local services",0,778000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3095935-45ac82c75b3b6bcf72c62affd9e0836f&start=778&end=778","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3095935-45ac82c75b3b6bcf72c62affd9e0836f/thumbnail_778000.jpg","/articles/6264541/Kent-County/Maryland/Kent-County-soil-conservation-leaders-ask-for-budget-flexibility-as-federal-staff-cuts-shrink-local-services","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6264541-c8eff3e52525dd4ecc296d195cf93a5c/orig.mp4?Expires=1771162898&Signature=WFAkwhufrcGmUHpb0FWZP7ljwYM742gaUi3QMB6cvEjiPelBjnnK4vOkiegb6WpRFSFbR26JEvmGcrkUlfy2PlVpyUU3D2JpRPD3XzOatseOtql93OoutmuHoNKIAmhDi2GiuhNEkuRAPe09CDOFyUqkZf8e8XQgIczl3O-cTO4waLSQHGAVz7ru5AjpHCZaWd872xCQWI1-xLPNrqfWjDhCyml25msjaMiPez9MAaJttPe6o-7lhPQ45otrtfTbtYwkOrbuouRoPAmqrjYZePirPRX58IqdtjK~YcCNuFDhKtnxYL6bV8B3LzmrxpIKthfBFyDEwwoxGzatQnLl7Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Representatives of the Kent County Soil Conservation District told county officials that federal staffing cuts at the U.S. Department of Agriculture are shrinking local capacity and asked the county for flexibility in how it spends its appropriation.

A staff member for the district, joined by Charlie Miller, chair of the board, and Sam Leverett, a senior planner with the Maryland Department of Agriculture, reviewed the district’s recent accomplishments and warned that federal reductions were already affecting office staffing and space. \"We have employees in our office, they have vehicles in our office, they pay the rent for our office,\" the district staff member said, describing the U.S. Natural Resources Conservation Service as “a significant contributor” to local conservation work.

The presentation pointed to recent performance data the district said comes from the Maryland Department of Agriculture: the district ranked fourth statewide for best management practices installed, second in participants in the agricultural cost-share program, first in conservation reserve enhancement (buffers) and first in cover crop acres. The district said 58,734 acres are planted to cover crop annually — about half of Kent County’s tillable acres, the presenter said.

The district requested a modest increase in its county appropriation and noted that the budget request represents a 5% increase over last year. The presenter asked county officials to permit some flexibility in how those funds are used, because the district may need to reassign duties or shift priorities if federal support is reduced.

District officials described staff reductions at the federal partner agency: they said rural office staffing has dropped to two federal employees assigned locally (one of whom splits time with another county) and that a probationary federal employee is scheduled for termination in May as part of a reduction in force. The presenters said the district has already lost three federal position numbers and that empty desks in the office raise the prospect that the federal leaseholder could seek to reduce space.

The district said those cuts could require it to change operations and possibly give up programs it has supported while still pursuing watershed goals under the Chesapeake Bay program. The presenters said they are working with the Maryland Department of Agriculture to identify any PINs or vacancies the state could move into the local office.

The district also noted local successes and fundraising: staff said private donors and sponsors supported a record attendance conservation dinner and the organizers raised $5,000 for a high-school scholarship. The district provided commissioners with a draft newsletter and recognized Fabio Turlovich as its cooperative of the year.

District leaders said they would stay in touch with the county and, if needed, return for further briefings. \"If we need to come back to a meeting and present, we'll be happy to do that,\" the district staff member said.

Ending: The presenters closed by asking county officials to consider the request for budget flexibility while district leadership evaluates options to maintain service levels as federal partners reduce local staffing.","Representatives of the Kent County Soil Conservation District told county officials that federal staff reductions at the U.S. Department of Agriculture could force the district to change operations and may require county flexibility in how allocated funds are spent.","actionData","errors"]

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Kent County superintendent proposes 36 teaching cuts as enrollment falls and COVID aid sunsets

Kent County soil conservation leaders ask for budget flexibility as federal staff cuts shrink local services