By Adam Pagnucco.
MCPS’s last-minute threat of layoffs did not affect the county council’s passage of its budget today but it did cause significant consternation in the council building and beyond. Council Members Will Jawando and Kristin Mink, who had previously expressed concerns about the MCPS budget, both abstained from voting on it. In a statement sent after the budget’s passage, Jawando said this:
The Council received communications this morning from MCPS. The Board of Education held a closed session this morning to discuss the impact of the level of funding we gave preliminary approval to last week. In response to the cuts, the system is looking at the possibility of 143 teachers that will be subject to a Reduction in Force. And they are looking at an additional 177 teachers that have been offered contracts for next year who will have their offers rescinded. Together, that is a potential reduction of as many as 320 teachers and that will lead to increased class sizes and strain on our workforce.
The most remarkable statement came from Council Member Evan Glass. Normally a placid legislator who carefully selects his words, Glass lit up the school system for its failure to fully share information about its condition until the morning of the final budget vote. One senses that his sentiment is not a solitary one. Following is the video and a transcript of his remarks.
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Council Member Evan Glass speaking about MCPS’s budget this morning.
Thank you, Mr. President. We are minutes away from approving our FY25 budget, the parameters of which were agreed to last week by full council in straw votes. The week before, we had a full conversation with every department and agency to ask specific questions about their budget which was predated by a series of committee hearings. And the school board is meeting now in emergency session to talk about a budget that they saw, participated in and knew what was happening. And they’re giving us information now about our decisions.
Shame on them!
Blindsiding us, blindsiding our educators, blindsiding the entire community.
The county executive increased MCPS’s budget by $128 million. We saw that as insufficient and added an additional $26 million and I understand that there is concern about how much more is needed. We do need more information. That information should have been provided to us. I asked for that information. I’ve been asking for that information for years. It still has not been provided.
Where is the oversight, where is the transparency? Minutes before we approve the budget is not the time for it. It is a disservice to this body, it is a disservice to this community.
We have no other option than funding this budget which we’ve been deliberating on for months. We should not be in this situation. And I hope that we are not in this situation next year. Our educators deserve better, our students deserve better and our community deserves better.