Layoffs of up to 150 educators, the elimination of a virtual learning program and a delay in pre-kindergarten expansion are among the spending cuts under consideration as Montgomery County Public Schools officials try to close a budget shortfall for the coming fiscal year.
The proposed cuts are under consideration as MCPS officials and the county school board grapple with closing a multimillion-dollar gap between the board’s spending request and what the County Council allotted in the $7.1 billion county operating budget for fiscal year 2025 that members adopted last week.
The budget allocates $3.3 billion for MCPS, funding 99.2% of the school board’s recommended budget. The highest-ever amount of funding for MCPS, the allotment includes $26.3 million more for the district than what had been allocated in County Executive Marc Elrich’s proposed spending plan.
But the county teachers union, the Montgomery County Education Association, has estimated that the school system is facing a $30 million budget shortfall with the council’s approved budget.
The school board had urged the county to fully fund their request, warning that otherwise cuts would be necessary.
What exactly those cuts would be was not formally communicated to the public until Friday afternoon, when MCPS Interim Superintendent Monique Felder and school board President Karla Silvestre sent a letter to the district community outlining potential reductions under consideration.
MCPS spokesperson Liliana Lopez said in an email to MoCo360 Thursday morning that the spending gap is approximately $30 million. She did not share the amount that would be saved with each reduction under consideration.
According to the message, potential budget adjustments include:
- Reducing central office employees;
- Reducing staff development teachers at only middle and high schools by 0.4 full-time equivalent (FTE);
- Increasing class size by one student–which would result in a reduction of 100 to 150 positions;
- Eliminating the Montgomery Virtual Academy;
- Delaying pre-K expansion and postponing the creation of additional full-day pre-K classrooms;
- Reducing counseling services from CollegeTracks, which offers college access services to underserved students, at some high schools;
- Reducing contractual services–spending that the county teachers union advocates is ripe for cutting;
- Reducing musical instrument repair services at schools facing increased poverty; and
- Realigning funds of the Title IV grant to provide therapeutic mental health support. According to the National Association of Secondary School Principals, Title IV funding aims to support students’ “comprehensive needs in a variety of settings, strengthen family engagement and bring America’s schools into the 21st century.”
“We have previously shared with County Council members, our employee bargaining unit associations and our community partners the difficult decisions that may be necessary to address the significant financial constraints our county is facing,” the letter stated.
“Schools are fundamentally about people, and we understand the profound impact that this budget and potential reductions will have on our dedicated workforce, students and families.”
The school board is expected to approve the final version of its fiscal year 2025 budget when it meets on June 11 at the board’s headquarters at 15 W. Gude Drive in Rockville.
“Decisions regarding the budget adjustments shared with the County Council in May will not be final until the Board of Education approves the budget on June 11,” Lopez wrote. “Until then, the Board and MCPS leadership will continue to evaluate each potential adjustment.”
“If there is a reduction in force, it would be implemented in accordance with procedures outlined in the negotiated agreements with our employee associations,” she wrote.
Even though the approved budget includes the highest-ever amount of funding for MCPS, not everyone was pleased with the amount the district is set to receive from the county.
Two council members, Will Jawando (At-Large) and Kristin Mink (District 5) abstained from voting on that portion of the county operating budget. Jawando and Mink expressed concern that not fully funding the school board’s recommended spending plan would potentially lead to cuts, layoffs and increased class sizes.
“One thing I’m clear on is our students need more not less. Our teachers need more support, not less,” Jawando said ahead of the council’s vote. “And the impact of these cuts are going to be felt in every school, disproportionately to kids that are most vulnerable, and so we can’t allow that to happen.”
Hours after the council adopted the county operating budget, dozens of teachers union members flooded the school board headquarters in Rockville at the board’s Thursday meeting, demanding district officials take action to avoid the potential staff layoffs, program cuts and increases in class sizes.
As union members waited outside of the boardroom, locked out due to capacity concerns, Dustin Jeter, a social studies teacher at James H. Blake High School in Silver Spring, told MoCo360 that MCPS “seems to want to make decisions about us, but not with us in the room.”
Students enrolled in Montgomery Virtual Academy (MVA) and their families also protested at the school board headquarters and held signs asking the district for continued funding.
To find areas for savings, the teachers union is pushing the district to examine contractual services. Representatives shared a list of potential items to cut along with a letter to Felder on Thursday.
In response to the backlash, Felder and Silvestre stated in their Friday letter that the school system would share an itemized list of the entire contractual services budget with the council and employee unions to “build” further understanding around the budget.
“We understand the gravity of these potential decisions and the challenges they present,” the letter stated. “We want to emphasize that these considerations are not a reflection of the dedication or the quality of work of our staff. We are committed to providing resources and assistance to help our staff navigate the coming weeks.”