MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. — The Montgomery County Board of Education has officially adopted the $3.32 billion operating budget for 2025, including the cut of the virtual program parents were fighting to keep.
According to the MCPS Board of Education, the budget does include an increase of $147 million, or 4.6% over the prior year, as well as a $30 million reduction for a same-services budget as FY 2024.
“We thank the Board of Education for the collaborative work on the operating budget for next school year,” said Interim Superintendent Dr. Monique Felder. “Despite reductions, this budget preserves the services and supports that our students and staff need right now.”
But not all were happy Tuesday at news of the passage.
"You say you care about kids -- you lie! You lie!" one angry parent shouted as the budget vote came down, concluding a long day of testimony from teachers and parents.
Even board members expressed concerns.
"This budget does not include everything we would like, but what it does include is critically important," said Karla Silvestre, Board of Education President. "We are supporting teaching and learning with investments in well-being so students are ready to learn, curriculum that builds key literacy skills, and salaries and benefits for our hard-working staff."
The board says the budget was made to maintain the same level of services as the previous school year without adding new initiatives. Additionally, some resources and services were moved from the discontinued federal emergency funding known as the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) grant to the general operating budget.
The budget includes the following investments, according to the board of education:
- Additional funding for special education. This budget proposes an additional $13.5 million to support our special education requirements.
- Maintaining student mental health supports.
- Implementing the Core Knowledge Language Arts curriculum, a new elementary literacy curriculum.
- Additional funding for the Community Schools program will increase the number of these types of schools from 34-53.
- Ensuring the two-year negotiated salary agreements between MCPS and its employee associations are continued.
However, the budget also includes several reductions that will save the school district more than $30 million. Those cutbacks include:
- Increasing class size guidelines by one student in K-12 classes. This is a reduction of 122.7 full-time equivalent (FTE) positions, which are expected to be realized through retirements and other vacancies.
- Reduction of 0.4 FTE staff development teachers in middle and high schools.
- Reducing contractual services across the district.
- Eliminating 20 central services positions from all employee groups. When combined with the superintendent’s proposed budget reductions from December of 2024, the total reduction in central services is nearly $18 million and 95 positions.
- Eliminating the Montgomery Virtual Academy.
- Eliminating the FY 2025 accelerator for musical instrument repair.
- Delaying the expansion of the pre-kindergarten program until, at least, the 2025-2026 school year. One school, Stonegate Elementary will continue to implement an expanded program in FY 2025 based on a grant received in FY 2024.
MCPS Chief Operating Officer Brian Hull said the $33-million-hole came from the end of pandemic-era funding and inflation, which forced several frustrating decisions.
“One student per class size increase, the elimination of the [Montgomery Virtual Academy] and the reduction of central office staff, none of which we wanted to do," Hull said.
The elimination of the Montgomery Virtual Academy comes after district families held a sit-in outside Montgomery County Public Schools headquarters. The virtual program served more than 800 families. The program, which was created during the COVID-19 pandemic, allowed students to attend classes from home.
"The pandemic is not over for everybody," Evans said. "We would also like to be able to move on, but some of us are dealing with long COVID and dealing with fallout from it.”
After the vote, parents of MVA students expressed outrage over the decision. Organizer said they will turn their efforts to Annapolis.
"That's what we want -- we need to speak to Governor Moore!" parent Barbara Galasso said. "We aren't taking no for answer!"
At the same time, the teachers union, the MCEA, said there is still time for county leaders to come to the rescue.
“The county executive can request a supplemental appropriation," Montgomery County Education Association President said. "The county council can request a special appropriation in order to fund what is needed.”
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