Friedson accuses school board of ‘lack of leadership’ in budget decisions

Board set to vote Tuesday on MCPS fiscal 2025 operating budget

June 11, 2024 3:35 p.m.

Ahead of the Montgomery County Board of Education’s vote Tuesday on a final spending plan for the coming fiscal year, Montgomery County Council President Andrew Friedson (D-Dist. 1) called out the board for “a lack of leadership” in making financial decisions.

“This is a management issue. It’s not a fiscal issue. Rather than be accountable, this idea of using hyperbolic hypothetical scenarios to obfuscate responsibility is not helpful to the public,” Friedson said during a virtual press briefing Monday when asked about whether the school board had been transparent about spending reductions that Montgomery County Public Schools would need to make to close a $30 million budget gap in its fiscal year 2025 budget.

“It is destructive, I think, to parents and families who are understandably concerned,” he added. “It is extremely damaging to the trust with educators who are relying on the communication from MCPS to understand what their jobs, their careers, the impact on their families is going to be.”

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Montgomery County Public Schools announced Monday afternoon that no current teachers are expected to lose their jobs as a result of the district’s plan to increase class sizes for the next school year.

The increase in class sizes–which was anticipated to lead to layoffs of up to 150 educators–is one of several budget-cutting moves that MCPS is undertaking to close a $30 million gap in its roughly $3.3 billion spending plan for the fiscal year starting July 1.

According to the MCPS announcement, “current and anticipated teacher vacancies, such as resignations and retirements, are projected to eliminate reductions in teacher positions.”

The decisions come as MCPS grappled with making budget cuts following the County Council’s adoption of a $7.1 billion county operating budget for fiscal year 2025, which includes roughly $3.3 billion for the school district.

The council’s allocation funds 99.2% of the school board’s recommended budget and is the highest-ever amount of funding for MCPS, but district officials say it is not enough to fully fund all programs and services. District officials said at the time of the council’s vote that a possible increase in class sizes was likely to result in the layoffs of up to 150 educators.

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“It should be clear that the County Council added $157 million more than last year’s funding at a level that is 99.2% of what was requested,” Friedson said. “To suggest that there are draconian cuts that are needed … things like laying off teachers and breaking contracts is absolutely unfathomable and reflects a woeful lack of leadership, accountability and responsibility.”

Spokespeople for the school board and MCPS didn’t immediately respond to MoCo360s request for comment Tuesday morning.

Members of the county teachers union also shared frustration with the budget process at the union’s rally late Monday afternoon in downtown Silver Spring to raise support for increasing the MCPS budget on the eve of the school board’s expected vote.

Rishni Patrick, a fifth-grade teacher at Piney Branch Elementary School in Takoma Park, attended the rally and told MoCo360 that she and other teachers were “scared” for the next school year because of the expected increase in class sizes.

“I have no idea how big my class is going to be next year,” Patrick said. “You know, it’s like there is a limit to how big some of these classes can be.”

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Patrick, who has taught at MCPS for 16 years, added that she was also worried about her students and “having enough teachers to do the job.”

“It’s just a rough year,” she said. “Next year we’re hoping that the council can help us by putting back some money [into the budget] that will let us have smaller class sizes.”

Rashemah Stridiron, a consultant teacher who provides support to first-year teachers, said at the rally that the district’s Monday email about potentially avoiding layoffs did not reassure her much.

“You send out a message like that at the end of the school year– you know, teachers are worried. Brand new teachers [are asking], ‘Am I going to have a job come August?'” Stridiron said. “That’s not how you create psychological safety.”

Stridiron added that she thought it was “sad” that teachers had “to beg and beg and beg” for funding. “Education is the great equalizer. Invest in it, protect our students,” she said.

A handful of local elected leaders attended the rally as well, including councilmembers Laurie-Anne Sayles (D-At-large) and Kristin Mink (D-Dist. 5) and state delegates David Moon (D-Dist. 20) and Lorig Charkoudian (D-Dist. 20).

Mink, who sits on the council’s Education and Culture Committee, told MoCo360 on Monday that one option for increased funding for the schools is for the council or county executive to bring up an appropriation of additional funds for the district.

“If we’re seeing layoffs, furloughs, contracts that aren’t going to be honored, especially for local teachers, those are things where that’s gonna make it very difficult for us to hire people in the future. That’s going to create an ongoing problem,” Mink said. “And I think that that’s something that would certainly necessitate me and hopefully the full council taking a good look at what we can afford, and what it’s worth, and if we need to send over some extra budget to fill that gap.”

She said the school board and MCPS have been “choosing between a menu of undesirable options right now. It’s very unfortunate.”

When the council voted to pass the county budget for the next fiscal year in May, Mink and councilmember Will Jawando (D-At-large) abstained from voting on the school portion of the budget because of their concerns that the funding would lead to potential cuts, layoffs and increased class sizes.

Friedson noted on Monday this is the first time the council tied accountability requirements to the MCPS budget. The school system will be required submit reports on new programs and initiatives being funded as well as updates on actual class sizes, special education enrollment and other metrics.

“This would be the first time ever the council will include reporting metrics and accountability language,” Friedson told MoCo360 in May.

The council created two new positions in the county Office of the Inspector General (OIG) dedicated to MCPS and is funding two additional positions to establish an MCPS oversight division within the office. This is partly in response to criticism that the school system received for its handling of an investigation into allegations of sexual harassment by former Farquhar Middle School principal Joel Beidleman.

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