MCPS to get an additional $26 million under County Council’s proposed spending plan

Council straw vote approves $7.1 billion county operating budget for fiscal 2025

May 16, 2024 3:31 p.m.

Editor’s note: This story was originally published at 11:31 a.m. on May 16, 2024. It was updated at 4:14 p.m. on May 16, 2024 to include a statement from County Executive Marc Elrich. It was updated at 9:45 a.m. on May 17, 2024, to include statements from the Montgomery County Education Association and SEIU Local 500.

In a straw vote Thursday, the Montgomery County Council preliminarily approved a $7.1 billion county operating budget for fiscal year 2025, which includes $26.3 million more for Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) than had been allocated in County Executive Marc Elrich’s proposed spending plan.

“[The] budget before us today is a reflection of compromise, collective values and the complex needs of our growing community,” Council President Andrew Friedson said Thursday after the unanimous straw vote. “I am proud to say that this budget focuses on our core priorities.”

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Elrich’s $7.1 billion budget proposal represents a 4.9% increase from the current fiscal year’s budget. The proposed budget for fiscal year 2025, which starts July 1, includes $3.3 billion for Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS), funding 98.2% of the county school board’s request. The total school spending represented a $107 million increase over spending in the current fiscal year, but also represented about a $60 million cut in the school board’s funding request, according to board documents.

Between Elrich’s budget presentation in March and the council’s preliminary vote on Thursday, school officials and community members urged increased financial investment in MCPS.

With the additional proposed money for MCPS, the council’s proposal will fund 99.2% of the school board’s budget request.

However, councilmember and Education and Culture Committee chair Will Jawando (D-At-large) voiced concern this still wasn’t enough, and that the MCPS workforce is “being asked to do more with less.” He said he is concerned that what is not funded will result in larger class sizes and program cuts, and said he has “deep reservations” about the budget.

“This will disproportionately impact our most marginalized students and families,” Jawando said Thursday. “Nearly half of our students are in poverty.”

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The two unions representing teachers and service employees in MCPS — the Montgomery County Education Association (MCEA) and the SEIU Local 500 — expressed deep concern over the proposed school budget in a joint press release Thursday.

The unions recognized that the cuts to the school board’s proposed budget would not be “as severe” as under Elrich’s proposal, but said the County Council’s request would leave the MCPS $30 million under “what is necessary to maintain current services.”

“It’s dismaying to see that painful cuts to programs and positions will now be unavoidable in the coming year,” the release stated.

Both the council’s version of the budget and Elrich’s proposal did not require a property tax increase.

Friedson said 255 residents participated in five public hearings on the proposed budget, which represents a 55% increase in participation from 2023, and that the council received “hundreds more” calls and emails about the spending plan.

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Councilmembers and Elrich clashed during budget deliberations over a projected deficit. According to council staff, Elrich’s proposed budget could result in a structural deficit of $115 million in fiscal year 2026, meaning the county would be spending more than it collects in tax revenues. But Elrich said he believes council staff’s projection is inaccurate.

The projected deficit resulted in the council changing aspects of the budget to be less reliant on reserves funding.

In a statement released Thursday afternoon, Elrich thanked the council for funding 99.5% of his initial proposal, but voiced concerns about changes and accused the council of making decisions out of the public eye.

“I am deeply concerned that the Council’s process is hard to reconcile with the principles of good government and smart policy,” Elrich wrote. “I do not doubt that each Councilmember has a deep-rooted concern for our community and our residents. I have heard them express this sentiment on numerous occasions. However, I am very concerned about the lack of public conversation and transparency.”

Council Vice President Kate Stewart (D-Dist. 4) compared the budget to a puzzle during Thursday’s meeting, and said it was frustrating to not be able to fund everything.

“I believe what we were able to fund in this budget reflects our top and most urgent concerns,” Stewart said.

Other aspects of the budget highlighted by councilmembers Thursday morning include:

  • Continued and increased funding for the county police department’s Drone as First Responder program, which will expand to Bethesda and Germantown/Gaithersburg;
  • Increased funding for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program;
  • Funding for the Great Seneca Transit network, an upcounty bus service;
  • The first-ever specific budget funding for LGBTQ+ health and wellness services;
  • Financing for clean energy projects for businesses and residents through the Montgomery County Green Bank; and
  • Funding investment in early childhood education and services.

The council is slated to take final, binding action on the budget on May 23 once the resolution language is written by council staff.

This is a developing story.

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