By Adam Pagnucco.
Yesterday, I reported that MCPS was seeking $21.6 million in additional county money for the Charles W. Woodward High School project because an error in its aid submission to the state created a “state aid gap” in funding. Soon after, a representative of the state sent me an on-the-record statement claiming that there was no “state aid gap” because MCPS was not losing any state money.
It’s one of the more puzzling inter-governmental disagreements I have seen. This is not a disagreement over policy – it’s a disagreement over budgetary fact.
Today, the school board issued a new statement doubling down on its request for county money because of a “revenue shortfall.” But what about the fact that the state is claiming that there is no revenue shortfall?
The school board’s statement is reprinted below.
*****
Montgomery County Board of Education statement regarding the Recommended FY26 Capital Budget and Amendments to the FY 2025-30 Capital Improvements Program
The Montgomery County Board of Education (Board) received Montgomery County Public Schools’ (MCPS) recommendations for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Capital Budget and amendments to the FY 2025 2030 Capital Improvement Program (CIP) earlier this week. In his recommendation to the Board, MCPS Superintendent Dr. Thomas Taylor shared that a prior mistake by the district contributed to a revenue shortfall in the FY 2026 capital budget.
The FY 2026 capital budget remains at $1.853 billion, but the district is seeking $21.6 million from the county to cover a portion of a $39.3 million revenue shortfall. The shortfall is due to an error in state aid calculation for the Charles W. Woodward project. Some of the shortfall will be addressed by reallocating existing CIP funding, but local funding is needed to complete projects like Charles W. Woodward High School, Northwood High School, Crown High School, and critical HVAC infrastructure.
The Board of Education appreciates that the superintendent’s team uncovered the mistake and is openly addressing the issue. Errors like these undermine public confidence and trust in the district. It is imperative that we bring these matters to light, take corrective action, and determine a path forward that supports our vision for MCPS.
The Board is committed to working closely with MCPS’ new leadership to establish internal controls to prevent issues that negatively impact the district. Dr. Taylor and his team are dedicated to our shared goals of continuous improvement, transparency, and accountability.
Our foremost responsibility is to ensure the current school projects are completed on time and meet the needs of Montgomery County students. The Board calls upon the county’s support as we confront this setback and provide students with the educational infrastructure that supports their success.
The Board’s scheduled public work session on this topic is October 24. Two public hearings will be held November 4 and 6. Speaker sign-ups for the public hearings open October 24 at noon. To learn more and sign up to speak, visit the Board of Education’s website.
The Board of Education will take action on the FY 26 capital budget and CIP amendments on November 21.