To Unleash the Potential of Montgomery County, MCPS needs to Focus on the Fundamentals

Rockville, Md.  – Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) is facing a critical juncture. The budget request presented today by Superintendent Thomas Taylor is part of multi-year corrective measures that MCPS is taking to live up to its legacy of excellence. The district’s needs are extensive and the proposal transparently outlines the challenges for MCPS that have built up over time and have not been addressed. 

The proposed budget will allow MCPS to put in place strategies that focus on MCPS’ future and return the system to academic excellence. These strategies are to set high expectations, recruit and retain the best workforce, create safe and welcoming learning environments, enforce systems and processes for continuing improvement, directly support schools, invest in equity and differentiation, and emphasize fiscal stewardship.

Taylor proposed a $3.61 billion Operating Budget for Fiscal Year (FY) 2026, designed to stabilize the school system and prioritize resources for student learning and school support. Released on Wednesday, Dec. 18, the recommendation reflects a “Focus on Fundamentals” approach that targets investments directly to schools, supports student success, and addresses structural deficits within the system.

“We are confident that this request will put us on the path to stabilizing the school system’s financial position and fulfill our core values, ultimately delivering greater value and achieving impactful results for the families of Montgomery County,” said Dr. Taylor. “This budget request is about moving forward and building a brighter future of academic excellence for our children and ensuring that every student has the opportunity to unleash their full potential.”

Return on Investment

The superintendent’s budget introduces important commitments in the form of guarantees. These guarantees reflect a commitment to leveraging the budget and the superintendent's transformative plan to deliver tangible, meaningful results for students and families.

• Money Back Guarantee: By 2035, the district will reimburse families for the cost of remedial mathematics and literacy courses at Montgomery College for any MCPS graduate who requires additional support to succeed in higher education or the workforce. 
• Four or More!: By 2035, every school in MCPS will achieve a 4- or 5-star rating on the Maryland Report Card, reflecting sustained excellence in teaching, learning and community engagement. 

Budget Details

The recommended $3.61 billion budget represents a $298.7 million increase (8.97%) over the FY 2025 budget.

Important Highlights of the Budget Request:

• Reduction:
  • A savings of $7.014 million resulting from a central office reorganization, reductions of 81 positions, including temporary placements and office budgets.
• Educators:
  • A strong commitment to meet current staffing guidelines for special education with the addition of 688 positions at an investment of $46.657 million.
  • A commitment to our Emergent Multilingual Learners by adding 47 positions at an investment of $4.283 million.
• All Employees:
  • A commitment to competitive staff salaries, including employee wage adjustments, with an estimated increase of 3.25% to base salaries and step increases for eligible employees at an investment of $186.2 million. This estimate is on par with wage adjustments for county government employees. 
• Schools
  • An equity add-on to the formula that provides increased material resources to schools based on specific student populations by school determined by FARMs, special education and Emergent Multilingual Learners. At an investment of $5.74 million. Equit Add-on Model Estimates
• Stabilizing Operations:
  • A commitment of $40 million to begin addressing the underfunding of the district’s self-insured employee benefits plan.
• State Requirements:
  • $10.9 million to keep the district on track in meeting the requirements of Maryland’s Blueprint for Education.
• Safety and Security:
  • To address concerns about school safety, the budget adds 52 positions at an investment of $3.198 million.
• Other Considerations:
  • Investments are included to cover unavoidable increases in costs of goods and services tied to inflation and contractual increases.
  • A focus on tighter internal controls in procurement, contracting and fiscal management to ensure responsible expenditures and improve operational stability.

New Central Services Framework to Support Schools
A significant element of the budget is the realignment of central services to reduce bureaucracy, enhance customer service and directly support schools.

Cross-Functional Teams Assigned to School Clusters
Using existing resources, establish school-focused support teams that will be assigned to school clusters, tailoring resources to the unique challenges of each school community. These cross-functional teams will include subject and area experts, such as school leadership, equity training, special education, English language development, elementary literacy and mathematics, human resources, and safety and security.

This approach underscores the philosophy that no two schools or clusters are the same, and ensures targeted support for students and staff.

Timeline for Budget Consideration

• Public Hearings: Thursday, Jan. 16, and Monday, Jan. 27, 2025.
• Work Sessions: Tuesday, Jan. 14, Thursday, Jan. 23, and Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025.
• Board Approval: Tentative adoption of operating budget scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025.
• Final Adoption: Adjustments based on revenue projections will follow, with final adoption expected Tuesday, June 10, 2025.

Once approved by the Board of Education, the budget will be submitted to the Montgomery County Executive and County Council for consideration. The County Council is expected to finalize the FY 2026 Operating Budget by May 22, 2025.

Other Important Dates for Operating Budget Elements

• Thursday, Dec. 19 / Release of two videos. The full superintendent’s presentation and a condensed version. Spanish versions shortly after that.
• Fri, December 20 / FY 2026 Operating Budget Book Posted Online
• Mon, Jan 13, 2025 /  Excel Spreadsheet online so that the community can see specific details behind each summary number in the budget. Line-item Academic Programs Budget released.
• Fri, January 31, 2025 / A release of full (re)organization charts.

For more information on the proposed FY 2026 budget, visit https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/budget/

• Presentation Slides
• Budget Summary Sheet
• High level reorganization chart

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