Overview
- County legislators took testimony Monday on a bill that would let the Baltimore County Council extend the inspector general’s authority to the public school system, with a Senate committee hearing set for Wednesday.
- The proposal authorizes, rather than mandates, council action and any expansion would begin in 2027 if ultimately approved.
- Baltimore County Public Schools handle more than $2 billion of the county’s budget, a scale supporters cite to justify independent investigative oversight.
- A fiscal note anticipates hiring five staff and roughly $750,000 in annual costs if school oversight is added, nearly doubling the office’s current budget.
- A separate bill from Del. Ryan Nawrocki would create a statewide inspector general with subpoena power, appointed and annually reviewed by an Inspector General Advisory Board.