Options weighed for Montgomery Co. Public Schools budget

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. — There are school budget concerns brewing in Montgomery County. Montgomery County Public Schools leaders said the county’s council wants to reduce their budget. Council leaders said to fully fund that budget will require a property tax hike.

The county council met Friday morning to find the best way to move forward with the Montgomery County Public Schools' budget proposal.

This year’s proposed MCPS school budget came in around $3.2 billion. That was an increase of more than $230 million from last year.

MCPS Superintendent of schools Dr. Monifa McKnight has said the increase will help pay for teacher salary increases, closing the pandemic learning gap, and important student services.

Dr. McKnight has said the increase in the budget will keep Montgomery County competitive to hire, and keep, the best teachers. It will also keep MCPS near the top for school districts nationally.

However, Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich has said to pay for that increase the county will need to raise property taxes. He has attached a 10% property tax hike to the MCPS’s increased budget proposal.

School leaders disagree that property taxes need to be raised to fund their budget.

To find middle ground, the county’s education and culture committee have stepped up. They have tried to find reductions in the MCPS budget that both can live with.

The committee’s chairman Will Jawando says they’ve got their work cut out for them.

“We will have to balance our budget, that requires making some tough decisions,” Jawando said. “Certainly, as education chair I think there is no more important investment we can make than in our students. Teachers, and parents. That’s why people love Montgomery County.”