By Adam Pagnucco.
MCPS’s three unions – the Montgomery County Education Association (MCEA), SEIU Local 500 and the Montgomery County Association of Administrators and Principals (MCAAP) – are holding a press conference next week to announce their demand for full funding of MCPS’s operating budget request. This is a preview of a huge budget fight likely to dominate county politics in the spring.
Superintendent Thomas Taylor’s original recommended FY26 operating budget was historically huge. I wrote a seven-part series on its major cost areas. Since that time, the school board added $36.8 million to his recommendation due to budget shifts and state aid changes in Governor Wes Moore’s budget. The board offered this explanation:
The amended budget represents a $36,762,985 increase over the $3.62 billion initially recommended by Dr. Taylor to the Board on Dec. 18, 2024. The increase assumes the full impact of Maryland Governor Wes Moore’s proposed FY 2026 state budget. The state budget introduces potential reductions in state aid due to a delay in the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future legislation, a significant shift in teacher pension costs from the state to Montgomery County and a decrease in reimbursements that MCPS receives for students in non-public schools.
Taylor uses words that everyone can understand.
MCPS’s budget request occurs in the context of a threat to its federal aid, the growing impact of President Donald Trump’s attacks on the federal government and a tax proposal by Moore that would drain more than $300 million a year from MoCo’s economy. The county executive is due to send his operating budget recommendation, which would include MCPS funding, to the county council on March 15.
The unions’ press release is reprinted below.
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Date: Thursday, February 20, 2025
Contact: Michael Schoettle, mceapress@mceanea.org
For Immediate Release
People’s Press Conference: Invest in Excellence and Opportunity for MCPS Students
Rockville, MD – A People’s Press Conference will be held on Thursday, February 27, 2025, at 5:30 pm at 101 Monroe Street, Rockville, MD, 20850 (Executive Office Building Plaza), to call on County elected leaders to fully fund the Board of Education’s proposed operating budget for the 2025-2026 school year.
Speakers include leaders from the Montgomery County Education Association (MCEA), SEIU Local 500, and the Montgomery County Association of Administrators and Principals (MCAAP). They will be joined by MCPS Superintendent Taylor, Board of Education President Julie Yang, and members from the broader MCPS community.
“If County electeds show bold leadership by fully funding this budget, we would have the resources to meet our obligations to students receiving special education services, improve student safety in schools, and recruit and retain talented educators. Together, this would be a meaningful downpayment towards achieving excellence and opportunity for students in this district,” said MCEA President David Stein.
“Ultimately, the County Executive and County Council have a decision to make. In a time when public goods and services are under assault, do we want to continue to weaken what public schools can offer by underinvesting in them and the students they serve? We believe the right choice for students and Montgomery County is to do the opposite: invest in students and schools and make our county a beacon for public education in this nation.”