Maryland Schools Face $6M Bus Fuel Overspending
Four Maryland school systems project combined bus fuel costs exceeding budgets as diesel prices climb sharply this school year.
Updated on Nov. 1, 2026 in Secondary Education
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Anne Arundel, Carroll, Harford and Worcester county school systems project a combined $6 million or more in bus fuel overspending this school year. Most Maryland systems built fiscal 2027 budgets assuming diesel at $3.50 to $3.72 per gallon, while diesel averaged $6.34 per gallon in the state on a recent Friday.
Why it matters
More than 600,000 Maryland students ride school buses each day, so rising fuel costs strain district budgets that must cover transportation regardless of price. Several Maryland politicians have blamed the U.S. war with Iran for the increase, while the White House attributed high diesel costs to refinery closures and the Russia-Ukraine war.
Harford County Public Schools pays about $100,000 per month for diesel, and Maryland diesel rose from $3.65 to $6.34 per gallon in a year. Whether overspending reaches the full $6 million depends on whether prices remain at current levels through the end of the budget year.
The players
Anne Arundel County Public Schools
The Anne Arundel County school system, the largest of the four projecting overspending, reported the highest estimated bus fuel shortfall at $2.6 million.
Carroll County Public Schools
The Carroll County school system estimates $1.8 million in transportation overspending based on fuel prices holding at current levels.
Baltimore County Public Schools
The Baltimore County school board is scheduled to discuss its own transportation overspending in November.
The details
Anne Arundel County Public Schools' chief financial officer reported the projection at an October 21 school board meeting. Carroll County's $1.8 million estimate assumes fuel prices stay at current levels through the end of the budget year in June, and Baltimore County's school board is scheduled to discuss its own transportation overspending in November.
Timeline
February 2026: U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran preceded the diesel price increases.
October 21, 2026: Anne Arundel's chief financial officer reported at least $2.6 million in overspending.
November 2026: Baltimore County's school board is scheduled to discuss transportation overspending.
Budget Pressure
Maryland school budgets for fiscal 2027 assumed diesel between $3.50 and $3.72 per gallon, prices set before the February 2026 U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran pushed diesel well above that range. The gap between those assumptions and current prices is now forcing districts to absorb costs that were not planned for.
Families whose children ride school buses in Maryland may see changes to transportation schedules or route funding if districts cut services to cover fuel costs. Parents can ask their local school board how fuel overspending will be handled in the current budget.
The takeaway
Rising fuel costs can quickly erode school transportation budgets that were set months earlier, so districts and families alike benefit from tracking diesel prices and budget reports. Local school board meetings are where these trade-offs are discussed and decided.
What happens next
The Baltimore County school board is scheduled to discuss its transportation overspending in November 2026.
Further reading
Explore more on Secondary Education for context on how districts manage transportation budgets.
Source note: This article includes information reported by The Brunswick News.
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