Thank you to everyone who participated in the ratification process.
The ratification vote closed on June 12.
We had the required member participation, and 100% of respondents voted to move forward with the tentative agreement.
Since the vote closed, the County Council has officially adopted the FY27 budget. According to an Anne Arundel County Government press release, the FY27 budget includes a record $73.4 million increase in direct funding for Anne Arundel County Public Schools (AACPS), the “largest increase in funding for education in county history.”
The budget includes funds for:
- A step increase for all AACPS bargaining units plus a 2.25% cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) to match other county employee raises
- 26 new special education positions
- $2/hour raise for Teacher Support Assistants
- New field houses at Arundel and Chesapeake High Schools
- A greenhouse and new team room at Southern High School
- Construction of the final three schools in the Old Mill Master Plan
- The next cohort of AACPS feasibility studies, including feasibility studies for Ruth Parker Eason, Arundel Middle School, Riviera Beach Elementary School, Chesapeake Bay Middle School/Bodkin Elementary School, Van Bokkelen Elementary School, and design configuration for Glendale Elementary School
Member Question: Why vote before the County Council finalized the budget?
This is a question that comes up during many negotiation cycles. Ratifying the tentative agreement before final budget adoption allows implementation to move forward without unnecessary delays. Waiting until after the Council vote would have delayed the compensation package and potentially delayed salary increases.
Member Question: What about telework and scheduling flexibility?
Several members suggested additional telework opportunities for school-based administrators and greater flexibility around summer schedules and compensatory time.
These are important conversations. Telework allocations currently reflect the differing responsibilities of school-based and Central Office positions. School leaders are responsible for the day-to-day operation of buildings, direct supervision of staff and students, and management of facilities in ways that differ from many Central Office assignments.
Members raised questions about flexibility for evening and weekend work, including job fairs and other events that extend beyond the traditional work week. While summer Fridays and alternative scheduling structures present broader equity considerations across bargaining units, AEL continues to advance all these conversations through the Workload and Compensation Committee. We believe it is important to continue examining how workload expectations have evolved and whether existing structures adequately recognize the demands placed on educational leaders as we prepare for Full Book Negotiations.
