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MCPS to convene staffing-standards work groups; principals retain scheduling flexibility
Summary
District staff said they will form work groups in March–April to review staffing standards and formulas for FY27. Presenters described tiered allocations for non-focus, focus and Title I schools, the reading-initiative for grades 1–2, and a process for principals to request adjustments when enrollments change.
Montgomery County Public Schools staff told the Fiscal Management Committee on Jan. 28 they will convene work groups in March and April to review staffing standards and establish formal guidance for the FY27 budget.
Diane Gomez, director of the division of school finance and school support, and Nicole Sasek, a director in school support and improvement, described how staffing allocations differ by school type (non-focus, focus and Title I), how principals may convert positions (for example, using a paraeducator versus a 0.2 teacher), and the district's monitoring process from staffing issuance in March through enrollment tracking into the summer.
Gomez explained the district includes staffing guidelines in the budget book (Appendix C) and that most allocations are formula-driven but adjusted when school-by-school circumstances warrant it. She described the reading-initiative staffing aimed at keeping grades 1 and 2 reading classes under 21 students in schools that need that support and noted Title I funds can be used within guardrails to add targeted positions.
On timing, staff said there is no strict cutoff date for staffing requests. "So we don't have a cutoff," Gomez said, adding the formal request process typically remains open through December and planners slow routine meetings after September; late requests may be paused to observe trends and to determine whether a full teacher allocation is warranted.
Staff recommended forming multi-stakeholder work groups (finance, school support, association representatives) to develop updated staffing standards and to present recommendations in time for the FY27 budget cycle. Committee members asked that community participation be considered for the work groups and requested examples of the formulas and the category-by-category impact when staff return.
The district said it will provide the committee the staffing formulas in advance and follow up with data showing where staffing-related savings and pressures appear across categories.
