Students and staff urge full MCPS funding; career‑readiness evening program and virtual school supporters warn cuts will hurt vulnerable students

Student leaders, parents and educators urged the County Council to fully fund Montgomery County Public Schools’ FY26 operating request and warned that cuts will reduce supports for English learners, evening career‑readiness students and other high‑need groups.

Unani Galetto, a sophomore at Springbrook High School, told the council: “Funding defines the quality of our education.” Several student speakers said their classrooms lack reliable HVAC, space and staff; one said extreme heat forced a school closure. Multiple witnesses singled out the Career Readiness Education Academy (referred to as CREA or GREA in testimony), an evening program for English learners and students who work, which has reportedly lost key staff members.

Tracy Espinosa, a student leader, said CREA “lost 2 of its most fundamental staff members,” including its only full‑time instructional specialist and a parent‑community coordinator. Vivien Urbina said the program had gone from multiple full‑time staff to zero, and that students had lost access to hot lunches, counseling and other supports. Rafi Akbar and other student speakers described CREA as “a stepping stone” that lets students “work during the day and study at night.” They urged the council to fund MCPS so CREA can continue serving students seeking their GED and career credentials.

Separate testimony addressed the county’s decision last year to eliminate the Montgomery Virtual Academy (MBA). Courtney Evans, speaking for the Montgomery Virtual Academy Parent Teacher Coalition, said the district closed MBA to save $5 million and then redirected some students into a blended learning program that she characterized as “isolating, inequitable, and ineffective.” Sterling High (a representative of the Maryland Coalition for Virtual School Access) said nearly 300 students who were enrolled in or applied to MBA have left the district or sought private alternatives, removing per‑pupil funding from MCPS.

Teachers and parents described operational impacts: Amber Lesnevich, a teacher, said supply shortages and staffing increases have forced teachers to spend hours on tasks that reduce time for planning and student assessment; she cited examples of students dropping out because school feels less supportive. Students and family advocates requested the council maintain funding for special education paras, school psychologists, mental health staff, and positions tied to English learners.

No formal action was taken at the hearing; the testimony will be considered during the council’s budget deliberations. Speakers asked council members to preserve educational programs that serve students outside of traditional school schedules and to restore or replace virtual options that previously kept students in MCPS.