By Adam Pagnucco.
According to a memo sent out on Friday evening by Peter Moran, MCPS Chief of School Support and Well-Being, principals will receive information about staffing reductions at their schools today. The memo, posted online by the Montgomery County Education Association (MCEA), does not contain details for individual schools but does refer to increased class sizes and involuntary transfers.
MCPS has previously raised the possibility of layoffs due to its receiving $31 million less than its budget request from the county council. In fact, MCPS often receives tens of millions of dollars less than it requests and is showing no obvious outward signs of financial distress. Additionally, the school district has benefited from a 4.7% property tax increase levied a year ago.
Moran’s memo is reprinted below.
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From: Moran, Peter O <Peter_Moran@mcpsmd.org>
Sent: Friday, May 31, 2024 6:10 PM
Subject: Budget Information – Updated SAE 6/3
Good Evening, Principals,
To ensure we are providing you with the necessary information needed to navigate the current budgetary conditions, we wanted to connect with you before the weekend. On Monday, June 3, you will receive an updated School Allocation Execution (SAE) report that reflects reductions based on the comprehensive (K – 12) class size increase of one student. Out of respect, we do not want the SAE report to be the main means of communication. Therefore, all directors and associates will be personally contacting each school that has been identified for a staffing reduction or reassignment to discuss its implications as well as support with the identification of staff members that will be involuntarily transferred. In addition, all staffing coordinators will be readily available to support you with this process as well.
Specific information will be communicated via memo, however we wanted to take this opportunity to highlight several key points that relate to the identification of schools that will receive a staffing reduction and the timeline that will need to be implemented;
- Only classroom teachers are impacted by staffing reassignments (not counselors, school psychologists, pupil personnel workers, etc.)
- Actual enrollment not projected enrollment numbers in synergy are being utilized along with historical enrollment trends to identify schools that will receive a reduction,
- For elementary schools, these reductions could impacted art, music, and physical education allocations as well as reading initiative allocations,
- For middle and high schools, you are encouraged to absorb the .4 staff development teacher reduction at your school. Directors will be prepared to support with reviewing master schedules to identify classes or other conversions to restore their allocation to 1.0
- All principals will report the staff member that they have identified to the Office of Human Resources and Development (OHRD) for involuntary transfer by Wednesday, June 5, at 12:00 p.m.,
- On Thursday, June 6, OHRD staffing coordinators will confirm that the staff member you identified for involuntary transfer is accurate based on position and seniority,
- On Friday, June 7, OHRD will be present at office hours to share additional information regarding the involuntary placement process and answer any questions that you have.
We recognize that this process will be difficult for your staff and difficult for you to communicate. Staffing changes like this can be unsettling as the positive relationships we build are what make schools special. Unfortunately, the budgetary restraints make these staffing changes unavoidable. Please know that we are committed to working closely with you and your staff to support you with these transitions. We deeply respect your leadership and commitment to doing the difficult and necessary work on behalf of your school communities.
Please reach out with any questions or concerns. Thank you for all you do.
Peter
Peter O. Moran, Ed.D.
Montgomery County Public Schools
Chief of Schools
850 Hungerford Drive, Room 100
Rockville, Maryland 20850
240-740-3100 Office