Baltimore schools approve $1.95 billion budget focused on student support

Baltimore City schools approved a $1.95 billion operating budget that shifts money toward tutoring, counseling, arts, and other student supports as the district tries to hold schools steady under tightening enrollment.

The Baltimore City Board of School Commissioners gave final approval on May 5, sending the FY27 plan next to the Baltimore City Council. City Schools said the budget is built by braiding local, state, and federal dollars and is tied to four priorities: more high-performing schools, the school portfolio strategy, students with diverse learning needs, and school climate and student well-being.

The spending plan puts $7 million behind 25 Focus Forward Improvement Community schools, along with $33 million for literacy and math coaches, $5.4 million for summer learning, and $2.68 million for mathematics instructional materials. On the student-support side, the budget includes $5.2 million for Extended School Year services for students with individualized education programs and $1.2 million for credit recovery, two lines that reflect the district’s effort to help students recover missed learning and stay on a graduation path.

Other major investments are spread across services that shape daily school life. The budget sets aside $17.4 million for community school coordinators and lead agency costs, $7.7 million for Judy Centers, $19.7 million for vocational teachers including Career and Technology educators, $2.9 million for the Re-Engagement Center, and $4.45 million for multilingual learner supports. It also directs $41.4 million to fine arts teachers and additional school spending, $24.3 million to counselors and post-secondary advisors, $50.4 million to social workers and psychologists, and $6.6 million to athletic trainers, coaching stipends, and centrally coordinated costs.

District leaders said they held feedback sessions with students, parents, multilingual families, staff, and community partners before presenting the proposed budget on April 8. The final vote came as City Schools reported 76,362 students in pre-K through 12th grade for 2025-26, down 479 from the prior year, a reminder of the enrollment pressure shaping every budget choice.

The plan is also the last under CEO Dr. Sonja Santelises, whose contract runs through June 30. City Schools has described her tenure as the longest-serving CEO period in nearly 79 years. Compared with the $1.9 billion FY26 budget approved last May, the new plan adds money but still has to stretch across smaller enrollment and rising student needs, a balance Baltimore officials will now take to City Council.