Teachers in Baltimore County will call on district leaders to give them the raises their contract promised next school year.

Baltimore County Public Schools employees were expecting 5% raises, part of a three-year compensation deal, but the teachers union announced in a news release Tuesday that they were offered 1.5% raises instead.

Gboyinde Onijala, a spokesperson for the school system, disputed that claim, saying negotiations with the union will start after the County Council approves the budget. The vote is expected at the end of the month.

Superintendent Myriam Rogers warned last month that they’d have to rethink the compensation package thanks to budget challenges. She had initially requested 10.4% more funding from the county government than the school system got last year to pay for rising expenses, including staff salaries. County Executive Kathy Klausmeier, however, made it clear that that ask wouldn’t be fulfilled. She gave the school system a 3.5% increase instead.

Rogers sent an email to staff on Friday saying state and county leaders confirmed that more money will be given to the school system for the fiscal 2026 budget. The amount will be determined by the end of the week, Onijala said.

Rogers will put the funds toward compensation.

“We are actively working to identify additional options and are cautiously optimistic that we will be able to further decrease the gap and finalize the FY26 operating budget,” she wrote.

The Teachers Association of Baltimore County (TABCO) said in a statement that smaller raises would be “leaving educators behind while peer counties continue to pay their educators fairly. This funding is vital to maintaining classroom stability and continuing efforts to attract and retain educators to serve Baltimore County’s students.”

The union, which represents more than 9,000 educators, said in a press conference on Wednesday that it is planning to share “the alarming rate of turnover in our system.” Union leaders said the turnover will lead to the school system spending more money on recruiting and onboarding. It could also, they stated, harm student outcomes.

“The union has been in talks with county leadership and putting pressure for weeks,” a release stated. “TABCO leadership and engaged members are coming together to emphasize the importance of keeping the promise made to the county’s educators.”

Rogers said she and her team have had to make difficult decisions throughout the budget season, but she is still committed to compensating staff at a rate that leads to continued progress for students and that will remain competitive with surrounding school districts.

“We have strived to minimize the impact felt at the school level and move resources even closer to schools,” she stated in the Friday letter. “We have kept the leadership of our employee associations updated and appreciate their feedback and willingness to come to the table for these difficult conversations.”

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