Harford Executive Cassilly Responds to FY26 School Budget Request

Harford County Executive Bob Cassilly issued the following statement on School Superintendent Sean Bulson’s FY 26 budget request presented at last night’s school board meeting.

“I want to express my appreciation for Superintendent Bulson’s budget development process, which recognizes that increases in school funding cannot significantly outpace the growth in county revenue coming from taxpayers.

The superintendent is requesting an 8% increase from the county, or $26M more, which is still higher than our anticipated rate of revenue growth, but much more reasonable than the earlier estimate and a strong step in the right direction.

My budget team and I are working to reduce the county’s structural deficit and create a balanced budget that does not raise taxes. We are also closely monitoring efforts by the state to balance its budget by shifting costs to the counties. Early indications are that Harford could face an additional $6M in new funding mandates from the state, about half of which are increased contributions for teacher pensions.

Considering these challenges, I encourage the school board to carefully review the superintendent’s requested budget, as we all continue working together on behalf of the citizens we serve.”