SOMERSET CO., Md. — Maryland’s education watchdog has declined to open an investigation into a law firm’s billing practices for Somerset County Public Schools after a review found no evidence of improper charges.
In an Oct. 23 management advisory memorandum, Maryland Inspector General for Education Natalia M. Ahn said an independent auditor reviewed legal invoices covering March through July 2025. The review found no evidence of improper, inflated, or unauthorized billing for payments during that period, according to the Inspector General.
Instead, the office said the legal costs appeared consistent with the volume of legal matters involving the school system. Questions about how the school system budgets for legal expenses remain under review, however.
The decision follows complaints received beginning June 18, 2026, concerning the size of legal bills, potential overbilling, and the process used to establish the school system’s legal services budget.
The memorandum references concerns about an $80,000 legal services budget for fiscal year 2026 compared with spending reflected in more recent reporting. It does not provide a total for those expenditures or specify how much spending exceeded the budget.
While the billing review did not justify a full investigation, Ahn said questions remain about how legal expenses were and continue to be projected, approved, and reported.
Previous investigations
The latest review follows a separate investigation in 2025 into the Somerset County Board of Education’s decision to replace its former legal counsel. As WBOC previously reported, that investigation examined complaints about noncompetitive hiring, closed-session voting, and a lack of transparency surrounding legal expenses.
Then-Inspector General Richard P. Henry concluded the board violated Maryland education law by taking formal action in a closed session to replace counsel without holding a public vote.
The board publicly voted to ratify the legal services contract on Dec. 16, 2025. According to Ahn’s memorandum, that action addressed the education law violation concerning the closed-session authorization.
Watchdog calls for spending controls
Ahn issued the advisory before completing the ongoing budget review, saying the office considered it critical to highlight financial oversight concerns immediately.
The memorandum recommends that school systems establish clear limits in legal services agreements, including defined scopes of work, authorization requirements for individual assignments, and explicit cost caps.
It also calls for regular reviews of itemized monthly legal invoices before payment, including checks of hourly rates and the work performed.
The advisory outlines requirements for moving money to cover legal expenses. According to the memorandum, transfers within the same major budget category do not require county approval, but the school board must provide county officials with a written report explaining the transfer within 15 days after the end of the month in which it occurred.
Transfers between major budget categories require a formal written request to the county governing body. The memorandum says those transfers require county approval, with requests deemed approved if county officials take no action within 30 days.
The office’s review of legal budgeting and forecasting remains ongoing, according to the Maryland Inspector General for Education.
