HAGERSTOWN, Md. — Washington County Public Schools wants to raise the county’s hotel rental tax to fund security upgrades across the school system.
At a Board of Education work session on Oct. 7, Superintendent Dr. Gary Willow shared the proposal as one of the district’s legislative goals for the 2027 Maryland General Assembly.
The plan would raise Washington County’s hotel rental tax from 6 percent to 8 percent. School officials want 1 percent of the extra revenue to go directly toward security upgrades at public schools.
The other 1 percent could help fund public safety groups like law enforcement and fire and rescue services.
Hotel tax for school security
Willow said the proposed hotel tax increase would give the district more money to improve security at school buildings, on buses and at athletic facilities.
Possible projects include adding new security cameras to school buses, improving school entrances and increasing surveillance at athletic fields.
“We’re asking for 1 percent, and we want to be clear. We want that 1 percent to go toward security upgrades,” Willow told board members.
He stressed that the school system is not asking for the full proposed tax increase.
Although the proposal suggests raising the tax to 8 percent, Willow noted that lawmakers might choose a smaller increase, such as 7 percent.
The superintendent also pointed out that other public safety agencies could benefit from the extra hotel tax money.
Proposal requires legislative support
The hotel tax increase is one of several legislative priorities Washington County Public Schools is considering before the 2027 General Assembly session.
District officials plan to work with state lawmakers to look into changing the county’s hotel rental tax rate.
The proposal is still being discussed and has not yet been approved by the Board of Education.
At the work session, Chief Legal Counsel Ashley Sener listed the district’s main legislative priorities. These include getting enough state funding, keeping local control, ensuring safe learning environments and opposing new unfunded mandates.
School officials also said they would ask for more state funding to build, renovate and modernize schools.
The hotel tax increase would be a separate way to raise money just for security projects.
School board to review legislative priorities
The Board of Education plans to review the final legislative program at its Oct. 20 business meeting.
Board members will also need to choose people for the district’s legislative response team. This team usually includes the board president, superintendent, chief legal counsel and other board members.
If the hotel tax proposal stays in the final legislative agenda, district representatives could talk with Maryland lawmakers during the next legislative session.
Officials have not said how much extra money the tax increase could bring in each year or when the security improvements might happen.
The Oct. 7 meeting was for information only, and officials did not take any formal action on the proposal.
