Board of Education Comments January 14, 2026

Good evening.  My name is Shannon Hinkhaus and I am running for the Board of Education here in Carroll County.

I feel compelled to comment on recent budget discussions, however, I normally do not prefer to weigh in on things before I have the full picture.  I am looking forward to getting more information tonight about the budget to help all of us in the community get a better understanding of the challenges we face this year. 

Here’s what I do know.  The list of options for budget savings was a very disturbing list. 

My gut tells me that each of you would do whatever you can to keep from cutting our music or sports programs.  As parents yourselves, I also believe that each of you know that a five-year-old cannot be expected to be productive in class at 3:30 in the afternoon and that it is unreasonable to have them getting off the bus at 5:00.  I also do not believe that our County Commissioners expect us to take drastic measures such as these to save money. 

As a taxpayer, I expect that every year we take a hard look at our budget to ensure there is no waste and no missed opportunity for cost savings.  I think our commissioners have the same expectation of our school system.  And I believe that CCPS meets those expectations. 

However, we no longer have full autonomy over how our money is spent due to Blueprint constraints.  It is my hope that Blueprint mandates will be relaxed soon, but as we are not there yet, we have to live in reality.  Ideally, it would be my preference that we as a school system have local control to identify and implement our priorities to serve our students and families.  I have been reviewing budgets from prior years and see that we have added around 180 fte’s over the past 5 years and $117M dollars in revenue, and yet, it is still not enough. As a MD taxpayer, that is upsetting. 

I do think we need to make an effort to cut spending next year, and the best option for that is to get rid of the 1:1 devices in grades 3-8.  This should happen even if the savings are minimal — because students must master the basics before technology becomes the default. Parents know this instinctively, and research increasingly supports it.  If the devices are not heavily relied on in elementary and middle school right now, this should not cause any major disruptions.  This does not mean that children will not have access to technology, but that it is used sporadically and intentionally.  I am still considering my position regarding laptops in high school because I think many people believe that with our present reliance on tech, we need to get kids going right away.  I have a different perspective as someone who had very little technology use prior to college, and yet I have had no difficulty integrating tech into my career.  

As for the rest of the savings, please work to identify other options.  I know that is a difficult request but we cannot entertain implementing the bulk of the suggested cuts.