Statements from Board of Education President Patricia B. O’Neill and Interim Superintendent Larry A. Bowers on Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett’s Recommended Operating Budget

Patricia B. O’Neill, president, Montgomery County Board of Education:

“We recognize that Montgomery County continues to face fiscal challenges that make it difficult to provide sufficient resources to meet all of the needs in our community. County Executive Isiah Leggett’s proposed budget provides Montgomery County Public Schools with the minimum funding required by state law and shifts $27.2 million from an MCPS retirement trust fund to help fund our Fiscal Year 2016 Operating Budget.

“We know that County Executive Leggett is committed to our school system because he knows that an investment in MCPS is an investment in the future of our county. However, this level of funding is short of what’s needed to provide a world-class education to a growing number of students.

“At the state level, we are already facing a $25 million cut in state aid under Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan, Jr.’s recommended budget. We must work with our legislators in Annapolis to restore this critical funding.”

Larry A. Bowers, interim superintendent, Montgomery County Public Schools:

“To balance the budget at the level of funding the County Executive has proposed, we will likely have to move forward with the plan we announced last week to cut more than 400 positions, including 370 school-based positions. These are painful cuts that will impact every school in the district, but given the county’s fiscal situation, we are left with little choice.

“We will continue to work with county and state officials to secure as much additional funding as possible so that we can restore some of these very important positions to our schools.”