The Montgomery County Public Schools, facing a potential shortfall of more than $31 million in next year's budget, has begun what is envisioned as a series of new budget cuts by eliminating nearly $1 million in summer training for school leadership teams on program improvements and planning.

Affecting some 1,600 school-based and central office staff who provide critical leadership planning on reform initiatives and other academic improvements, the three-day Summer Leadership Institute would have been held in early July. The program has provided opportunities for school teams to work with other school and central office staff on critical issues facing student achievement.

More reductions will be announced as the school system continues to work on reducing a gap of more than $31 million between what the Board of Education requested and what the County Executive recommended in their respective budgets earlier this month.

The school system's requested budget for the 2003-2004 school year already had included $15.6 million in cuts and realignments in existing programs and services for next year as part of an overall budget containment plan. In addition, an ongoing freeze on expenditures and hiring begun last October has saved $5.6 million thus far this year.