HAGERSTOWN – Washington County Commissioners have approved what is expected to be a final adjustment for the Washington County Public Schools’ 2024 fiscal year budget, leaving the system a $6.9 million surplus at the year’s end.
Testifying before the commissioners, the school system’s Chief Operating Officer Jeffrey Proulx said the district had unexpected extra expenses for completion of the Boyd J. Michael Technical High School and creation of the new diesel technology program building.
After the presentation, County Administrator Michelle A. Gordon asked how much of that figure represented salary savings.
School system Director of Finance Eric Sisler said that salary savings were realized across all 13 budget categories. They were also buoyed by the system still having about funds left over from the Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund under the 2021 American Rescue Plan to control COVID-19.
“We had about $2.2 million in Special Education contract services we were able to utilize using COVID funds,” Sisler said.
WCPS Spokesperson Erin Anderson said that at this time, the Board of Education is allowing this money to stay in the unassigned fund balance where it can be committed in the future to a specific need or project.
Anderson said that 2 percent is likely an average amount of budget surplus, noting that for every dollar allocated to WCPS from state and local governments, the school system spends 98 cents.
“We are pleased with the end-of-year balances,” Ms. Anderson told LocalNews1. “Our staff is diligent in our efforts to responsibly expend funds in a way that will provide positive student outcomes without overspending.”
