(WBFF) — Baltimore County Public Schools, already funded by half of the county’s budget, is under scrutiny as lawmakers consider a proposal to allow the county’s inspector general to oversee its operations.
Last year, administrators requested a 21.7% increase in funding, prompting concerns about financial oversight.
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State Delegate Ryan Nawrocki said, “We’re spending a lot of money with continuing declining test scores and we need to get to the bottom of how that money is being spent.” Nawrocki proposed granting the inspector general oversight, citing the office’s success in highlighting waste, fraud, and abuse.
During a committee hearing in Annapolis, lawmakers debated the measure, with some questioning Baltimore County’s role in investigating a state agency like the school board.
Nawrocki argued that internal auditors are insufficient, stating, “While BCPS has internal auditors…they are not investigators.”
Taxpayer advocate David Williams supported the proposal, emphasizing the need for an external investigation of the $2.5 billion school budget. “There is really no conflict of interest,” Williams said. “The only conflict of interest is not ensuring taxpayers have a real watchdog looking at the money that’s being spent inside the school district.”
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Currently, Montgomery County is the only other county in Maryland with such oversight.
