"I positively will not be asking for the same level of increase that I did," Cousin said Wednesday just before going to a budget planning meeting with top school system officials.
Last year's request represented a 7.2 percent increase over the previous year's spending plan.
That budget process was something of a cakewalk compared with what school officials say they are bracing for this year. All but $4 million of Cousin's budget request was funded last year.
"We're facing a difficult time as other schools are faced with similar situations," Cousin said. "My budget will reflect that these are difficult times from both the state and local perspective."
Gov. Martin O'Malley announced last week that he likely would cut funding for an array of programs, including state aid for public education in jurisdictions with high costs of living.
"We recognize the difficult times," Cousin said. "It is going to be impossible to ask for as much money as I did last year."
