Somerset County School District facing changes following budget cuts

SOMERSET COUNTY, Md. – Somerset County School District is facing major changes following budget cuts.

“This is the hardest year on Blueprint,” said Superintendent Dr. John Gaddis.

With the ESSER and LEAD grant ending, Somerset County School District is in need of more funding. “We went to our local commissioners, we asked for approximately $1.9 million and we received about $480,000, so we got to make up those differences somewhere and that’s where the budget cuts come in,” explained Dr. Gaddis.

76% of the district’s money comes from the state. To address funding issues, one of the options suggested were to end summer school, however, that decision has since been rescinded. “The teachers spoke about the loss of income, and so a lot of the people rely on summer school and so they were concerned about that, and as I said we’re concerned about the loss that would come from the loss of instruction for those students who need it,” said Gaddis.

Superintendent Dr. John Gaddis says the district’s enrollment also plays a part in how much funding they receive and this year, enrollment is not rising. With budget cuts, teachers’ jobs are also on the line. “Teachers now need to have a license to teach in the state of Maryland and we have people who have gone multiple years and have not finished their coursework so unfortunately when you start to look at cuts, they’re the first cuts that would be made,” said Dr. Gaddis.

In order for the district to see positive change, Dr. Gaddis says it will take both the community and local government’s teamwork. “We’re going to have to rely on our local community to advocate for the school system,” said Dr. Gaddis.

The district will be having its fiscal year 2025 budget work session on June 5th.

Dr. Gaddis finishes his term on June 30th, however, the search for a new superintendent continues.