MCPS hearing draws broad testimony on FY27 budget as community presses for special education, staffing and program protections

The Board of Education of Montgomery County Public Schools held a virtual public hearing on the superintendent's recommended FY27 operating budget, hearing several hours of testimony from elected officials, students, union leaders, parents and nonprofit advocates.

Speakers from across the county welcomed several proposed investments in the budget but pressed the board for changes and clarifications. Mayor Monique Ashton of Rockville asked the board to "support class size reductions" and to delay staffing allocation reductions until MCPS has firm summer enrollment projections. The Montgomery County Education Association's president, David Stein, described the budget as "a basic budget for difficult economic times" but praised a proposal to add one full-time special education resource teacher in each of MCPS's 153 elementary and special schools.

Several speakers singled out proposed cuts and reorganizations they said risked undermining services for the district's most vulnerable students. Parents, pupil personnel workers (PPWs) and union representatives urged the board to restore 10 PPW positions that district staff had proposed to eliminate; testimony described PPWs' role in residency investigations, attendance interventions, and support for students experiencing homelessness. Jennifer Ehlers, a longtime MCPS staffer, said PPWs have conducted "over 3,200 referrals" and more than 3,000 required portfolio reviews this year, and warned that cutting the positions would increase risk of noncompliance in legally required services.

Students and community groups repeatedly pressed the board on discipline policy and restorative practices after superintendent-collected data cited at the hearing showed increased out-of-school suspensions. Student Jasmine Arias told the board, "This is unacceptable and this is the cycle that needs to end," and advocates asked the superintendent to publicly commit to restoring restorative justice coach stipends to prior levels.

On operations and facilities, speakers urged more investment in preventive maintenance and contractor support after several schools reported HVAC and plumbing failures. Sherwood cluster testimony called the budget's facilities funding insufficient to move schools from a "respond and repair" posture to a preventative strategy. Transportation, Safe Routes to School and bell-time alignment were also frequent subjects: WABA noted that plans exist for only 89 of 211 schools and called for a faster pace of implementation; Start School Later urged the board to support or not oppose state bell-time guardrail bills.

Board members used the hearing to request follow-up memos and data. Superintendent Taylor and MCPS staff agreed to provide more detailed line-item information on restorative justice stipends, safe-routes planning, staffing allocations and timelines for spring evaluation of changes to the code of conduct. The board will take initial action on the superintendent's recommended operating budget at its business meeting on 2026-02-19 and final action on 2026-06-25.

The hearing produced no votes; it served to collect testimony and to direct staff to produce follow-up materials for board consideration.