Baltimore City schools is asking for $30 million more. Here’s what to know.

Baltimore City schools on Wednesday released a summary of its proposed monetary budget for next school year, asking for a $30 million increase.

While details of the $1.437 billion budget were not released, the school board could vote on it as early as Wednesday night. The full budget will be provided to the public after it has been adopted, according to information on the school board website.

Here are four other takeaways from the documents that were released:

1. City schools will get more state funds.

The city schools will receive $43 million more in state funds from the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, legislation that targets additional funds for school systems across the state. About $35 million of that increase will provide students living in poverty greater access to sports, arts, mentoring and school health services.

The city is the last school system in the state to vote on its proposed budget, but in other areas the budget has created turmoil as the Blueprint reprioritized spending.

2. All the COVID relief funds are spoken for.

The city school system will have spent or committed all of its $159 million in federal pandemic relief money — called the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund, or ESSER — by the time the funding expires in September. The money went toward upgrading school buildings, providing tutoring and extracurricular activities and teacher training, among other things.

Baltimore City has spent significant amounts of its ESSER funding on one-time expenses, such as renovation of school bathrooms, so that when the funding ran out it would not upend academics.

3. Academics are due for an upgrade.

Baltimore City Public Schools wants to invest more money on curriculum and new books, including a new $4.5 million math curriculum and $6 million for pre-kindergarten materials. The city has some of the lowest math test scores in the state. Achievement scores plummeted after the pandemic and has not yet recovered.

The budget also includes $22.8 million to beef up math and literacy teaching. The school system plans to hire 149 math and literacy coaches.

Tutoring and teacher coaching has been a focus across the state over the last year as test scores show post-pandemic learning recovery has been slow.

4. More middle schoolers will get access to algebra.

The school system is expanding access to algebra, which is considered a pathway to higher-level math courses in high school. More middle school students in other school systems take Algebra I before they get to high school.

Students are expected to pass Algebra I by the end of 10th grade or their options for advanced career and technology classes or community college classes will be limited.