The Montgomery County Education Association and our 14,000 certificated educators in Montgomery County Public Schools are united in our call for the County Council to fully fund the proposed Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) budget for fiscal year 2026.
We’re pleased to stand shoulder to shoulder with our fellow unions, the county Board of Education, MCPS Superintendent Thomas Taylor, and County Executive Marc Elrich, along with students and families from across the county in calling for a budget that invests in students and academic achievement.
This is a budget that invests in just the fundamentals to improve instruction, make school campuses safer, and meet the needs of all students, especially students with disabilities. It allows the county to recruit and retain the best educators, including paraeducators, and give students more one-on-one attention. This is a budget with no bells and no whistles, but all in the service of creating a culture of academic excellence.
But we know that even a back-to-basics school budget will face an uphill fiscal climb, as we anticipate significant headwinds including less funding from the state and federal governments – as education costs increasingly shift to county residents. Without a doubt, we’re facing a lot of gravity.
Recently, County Executive Marc Elrich boldly declared his support for funding Montgomery County’s schools in his proposed county budget. The County Council now needs to decide: Does it invest in education or not? Robust investments in education have long been proven to contribute to economic growth, higher wages for an educated workforce, and increased social mobility. Investing in public education has clear returns. But funding public education isn’t just about economic outcomes, it’s about creating an engaged citizenry – something we desperately need now more than ever.
There’s a lot that could bring us down, but it’s time that we come together to defy the gravity of the current situation. This is an opportunity to recommit to public education not only with full funding, but as a value that we hold dear in Montgomery County. Whether we fully fund our schools is more than about numbers, it’s about values. Do we support public education only when it’s easy, or during harder times as well? Do we recognize the economic and moral imperative of giving all students the opportunity to succeed?
Like Elphaba belts in the musical Wicked, we believe that everyone deserves the chance to fly. To the County Council: Let’s defy gravity and help give our students the chance to fly by fully funding next year’s school budget.
David Stein is president of the Montgomery County Education Association.
