The Connection

Montgomery County Board of Education President Shebra Evans and Montgomery County Public Schools Superintendent Jack Smith released the following statement in response to County Executive Marc Elrich’s recommended Fiscal Year 2020 Operating Budget:

We thank County Executive Elrich for his investment in our schools, including funding above Maintenance of Effort. Even as our County faces revenue challenges, Mr. Elrich recognizes that we must invest in our students now, to build the economy of tomorrow. As revenue in our County continues to fall below projections, MCPS is committed to being a fiscally responsible partner.

School district leaders have worked collaboratively with the County Executive’s office as they developed this budget. While this budget did not meet the amount identified in the Board’s request, we believe we will still be able to implement our priority initiatives, including the expansion of prekindergarten. However, it will require us to reduce some planned efforts and delay others.

Over the next two months, we will work with our partners on the County Council to determine if there are opportunities to restore some of the funding outlined in our initial operating budget request and to minimize the impact of any reductions on students and schools.

As we look ahead to the Operating Budget for school year 2020-2021, we anticipate submitting a significantly larger funding request to our County leaders to align with the pending Kirwan legislation and to ensure that MCPS remains competitive in our continuous effort to hire and retain the most qualified workforce to serve our students.

In February, the Board of Education voted unanimously to adopt a $2.66 billion Operating Budget for Fiscal Year (FY) 2020. This includes participation in a county savings plan that will result in MCPS saving $25 million in the current school year to fund school year 2019-2020.

The budget includes funding for key bodies of work that will strengthen the district’s efforts to improve programs; increase access to strong academic and career opportunities; extend learning; provide language opportunities; focus on physical, social and psychological well-being; hire and retain an effective and diverse workforce; and strengthen operational excellence. This includes funding for:

• Reducing class size guidelines;

• Expanding prekindergarten programs;

• Providing alternative pathways for graduation;

• Adding leadership positions in schools;

• Providing differentiated and program support to special education and English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) students;

• Implementing extended year programming at two elementary schools;

• Adding programs and support staff for student physical, social and psychological well-being;

• Expanding dual-enrollment opportunities for students at Montgomery College;

• Expanding the Summer RISE career exploration program for students;

• Strengthening school safety and student security initiatives;

• Expanding career pathways and professional opportunities for employees;

• Adding technology improvements to support expansion of professional development platforms and support for schools.

The Board’s adopted operating budget reflects input from an array of stakeholders, including staff, parents, students and community members.