Baltimore County school board adds safeguards after improper $2.5 billion budget vote

HUNT VALLEY, Md. (WBFF) — The Baltimore County Board of Education is taking action after a FOX45 News investigation found the school system’s $2.5 billion budget appears to have passed improperly.

Eight months after Project Baltimore first exposed the issue, the Board is now putting new safeguards in place to prevent future budgets from being compromised.

Amy Adams, with the Baltimore County Parent and Student Coalition, feels vindicated, “Yes, I really do. The Board of Education responded in a very rational way.”

Adams feels vindicated because of a letter signed by Jane Lichter the Chair of the Baltimore County Board of Education. A letter in which Lichter outlines changes the school board is now making following a Project Baltimore investigation that started earlier this year.

“They’re correcting their policy and being up front with oncoming board members so that this error doesn’t happen again,” said Adams.

Adams feels vindicated because of a letter signed by Jane Lichter the Chair of the Baltimore County Board of Education (WBFF)

In February, Baltimore County Public Schools passed a $2.5 billion budget for fiscal year 2027. The budget passed 7- 4. All seven votes were required for approval.

In March, Project Baltimore broke the news that then-board member Robin Harvey, prior to her yes vote, had registered as a candidate for the Maryland House of Delegates. And according to this Maryland state law passed in 2014, a Baltimore County school board member “may not be a candidate“ for “local, State or federal government.”

ALSO READ | AG finding casts ‘dark cloud’ on Baltimore County’s $2.5B school budget, but vote stands

That month, FOX45 first interviewed Adams. “It’s concerning if our top educational leaders aren’t doing things by the book,” Adams stated at the time.

Following FOX45’s reporting, Adams’ group filed an appeal with the Maryland State Department of Education challenging the legality of the budget vote.

In August, the State Board of Education dismissed the appeal stating its was filed too “late”, though the Board added Harvey, “Should have resigned her board seat before filing her candidacy.”

“She was wrong in what she did,” said State Senator J.B. Jennings, who represents Baltimore and Harford Counties.

Following FOX45’s reporting, Adams’ group filed an appeal with the Maryland State Department of Education challenging the legality of the budget vote (WBFF)

Later that month, in August, Jennings, wrote the Maryland Attorney General’s office asking, “May a sitting member of the Board file as a candidate for elected office while continuing to serve on the Board?”

The AG’s Office responded, “No.”

But the budget had already taken effect on July 1. The vote could not be undone. So, Jennings asked the Board, including Chair Lichter, to take action.

“It’s put a dark cloud under this budget and now the Board needs to clean it up,” stated Jennings at the time.

In late October, in a letter to Jennings, Lichter explained the language about the law forbidding board member from being candidates for higher office, “will be included in our Board of Education Handbook.” A notification will also be included “in the New Board of Education Member Orientation.” Plus “Annually” board members will sign a “Statement of Understanding” regarding the law.

ALSO READ | ‘It’s a mess’: Was Baltimore County’s $2.5 billion school budget legally approved?

Lichter added, “The Board is confident” these actions “will provide appropriate safeguards to prevent this from happening in the future.”

In late October, in a letter to Jennings, Lichter explained the language about the law forbidding board member from being candidates for higher office, “will be included in our Board of Education Handbook.” (WBFF)

“I think it was appropriate that the Board stepped up and wrote the policy to match the law. And now everybody is aware and we shouldn’t run into this again,” said Adams.

Adams feels the Board has taken the correct approach to prevent board members, who seek higher office, from improperly casting votes. She just wishes it didn’t take eight months.

“BCPS historically is deny and deflect,” stated Adams. “They talk about transparency endlessly, but they’re not very transparent. This was an administrative fight that we saw a clear problem, and we wanted an admittance of that problem and then a remedy for that problem. It took us months to get there, but we got there.”

As for former school board member Robin Harvey, who cast the improper vote, she won in the general election. Harvey will soon be casting votes in Annapolis where she’ll represent Maryland’s 10th District in the House of Delegates.

Follow Project Baltimore’s Chris Papst on X and Facebook. Send news tips to cjpapst@sbgtv.com