Montgomery County schools propose $146M budget; superintendent asks county for $6.6M and free meals for all students

Montgomery County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Bragan presented the school division’s proposed fiscal 2025–26 operating budget to the Montgomery County Board of Supervisors on Feb. 24, asking the county for roughly $6.6 million in additional revenue and outlining personnel and program priorities.

Dr. Bragan told the board “the focus is always on the children” while reviewing proposed investments that include a districtwide 3% salary increase for all employees and a plan to compress long salary guides so employees reach maximum pay sooner. He said the district is proposing compression of some guides from as long as 36 years to a shorter schedule and that the 3% raise aligns with the state biennial budget raise for Standards of Quality (SOQ) positions.

The nut graf: The school division said the requested county contribution — about $6.6 million — would cover pay changes and new positions aimed at meeting state requirements and district needs, and would allow the board to pilot programs and expand services (including county funding that would enable free breakfast and lunch for all students).

Key budget items presented

- Compensation: a 3% across‑the‑board raise for all employees and salary‑guide compression to shorten time-to-maximum pay. - Minimum hourly target: an effort to make the lowest‑paid employees earn at least $16 per hour, noted Dr. Bragan as part of recruitment/retention efforts. - Personnel additions and changes: the presentation listed roughly $1.6 million in additional personnel costs and about $4.0 million for the 3% pay increase. Specific hires proposed included additional multiple‑language‑learner teachers, one gifted-and‑talented teacher, two 504 coordinators, two additional school nurses at the district’s two largest high schools, four custodial positions and an “administrator of fine arts.” The division also proposed expanding the continuum of special-education services after an internal and third‑party review. - Programs and safety: a proposed dual‑language immersion pilot at Prices Fork Elementary School; four school security officers working with the sheriff and local police departments; modest increases in training and professional development, including for new classroom techniques and technology. - School nutrition: the school board signaled it wants free breakfast and lunch for all students. The presentation showed the school nutrition program budget roughly $6.0 million, and the county share to make meals free for all students estimated at about $1.2 million.

Budget context and fund balances

Dr. Bragan and CFO Angie Bland explained fund‑balance and carryover items from FY24 that affect available operating funds. The packet showed an operating fund figure the superintendent described as approximately $146,000,000 for the division. They said prior‑year unspent and encumbered funds included textbook orders not yet invoiced, multi‑year tutoring allocations (state funds spread over three years), and unspent federal ESSER funds. The superintendent said that after closing FY24 the division placed roughly $780,000 into a health reserve and that about $740,000 in additional Medicaid receipts were required to be applied to special‑education instructional funds.

Enrollment and staffing trends

Dr. Bragan said elementary enrollment is slightly declining; he said current average elementary class size across the county is under 18 students and projected pupil‑to‑teacher ratios would drop (he cited a current elementary ratio about 17.84 this year and a projected 15.26 next year if teacher counts remain unchanged). He referenced a demographic study forecasting enrollment to decline and then level, without identifying a firm long‑term number.

Federal and state funding risks

Board members pressed staff on whether adopting universal free meals at the county level could affect federal nutrition reimbursement or other federal funds. Dr. Bragan said school nutrition staff had contacted state and federal officials and did not expect federal reimbursements to be lost but acknowledged the board would not adopt any change that risked removing federal aid. Supervisors also asked staff to provide detailed counts and per‑student estimates for the proposed universal meals program and to clarify what additional students would be served by the county’s $1.2 million share.

Board process and next steps

Supervisors asked for follow‑up information and scheduled further discussion at a joint meeting March 17. Multiple supervisors requested more detailed breakdowns of fund‑balance items, the mechanics of proposed salary‑guide compression, bus and transportation cost drivers from prior years, and a per‑student cost estimate for universal meals. The superintendent and CFO committed to return with the requested clarifications.

Ending

The presentation concluded with an agreement to continue conversations: the board deferred budget decisions while requesting additional detail on the county request, federal funding risk, and enrollment and staffing projections that will inform the county’s FY26 appropriation decisions.