ROCKVILLE, Md. -- Maryland state officials said an accounting error shortchanged the Montgomery County school system by $24 million in lost revenue.
Officials said the error in the state's budgeting process resulted in the error. Some of the money ended up going to the state's 23 other school systems.
Gov. Martin O'Malley said he will repay the county through a "deficiency appropriation" in the fiscal year starting in July. He said the school systems that were overpaid can keep the funds.
Timothy Firestine is chief administrative officer to County Executive Isiah Leggett. He said the error occurred when a state employee overvalued the county's real estate by about $16 billion in a "wealth" formula used to distribute state money to schools.
