School systems across Maryland may need to revise their budget proposals to adjust for a state accounting error that overpaid 17 counties by a total of $31 million last year.
Tax department employees overestimated Montgomery County’s property wealth by $16 billion in 2007, causing the county to receive $24 million less in education aid from the state than it was supposed to get, and 17 other counties to receive too much.
Gov. Martin O’Malley, a Democrat, has promised to restore Montgomery County’s lost funds. He’s also said he won’t ask any other county to return the overpayments.
Many school system leaders submitted budget plans for the next school year in early December, before they were aware of the mistakes, and they were based on the amount of aid the counties had received in the past.
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