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Employee groups urge raises, equipment and benefits in school budget presentations
Summary
Representatives of custodial, facilities, transportation, nurses, nutrition, administrative staff and teachers told the Montgomery County School Board they need higher pay, benefits and equipment investments as the division finalizes its 2026 budget.
Dozens of employees and their representatives addressed the Montgomery County School Board Tuesday night to press for higher pay, more benefits and targeted equipment investments ahead of the 2026 budget.
Speakers representing custodial, buildings and grounds, transportation, nurses, nutrition staff and teachers described staffing pressures and rising costs and asked the board to preserve or expand recent pay gains. "The compression of the salary steps along with the increase from $15 to $16 an hour has made a positive impact on hiring and retaining quality employees," said Robbie Jones, custodial supervisor for MCPS, urging continued equipment and supply funding for custodial crews.
Transportation staff urged competitive pay and benefits to address chronic driver shortages. "Stable, consistent staffing is critical for student safety and daily reliability," Jason Lawrence, representing the transportation department, said, listing competitive wages, affordable health coverage and continued bus replacement as top priorities.
Nurses asked the board to recognize advanced credentials in pay scales and to raise substitute pay; Austin Arden noted that MCPS now has 24 on-site nurses and described the range of clinical needs they manage. School nutrition supervisor Michelle Knotts asked the board to raise Sodexo-contracted starting pay from $15.75 to $17 and to consider a 7% increase for current food-service employees, and proposed a $300,000 multi-year equipment replacement investment for 2026 to address obsolete kitchen gear.
Teachers and career-and-technical-education staff also pressed for adjustments. CTE teacher Jay Mathis highlighted long hours spent advising CTSOs and asked the board to consider stipends so advisors aren’t uncompensated for hundreds of annual hours. Katie Seideman, president of the Montgomery County Education Association, urged a 3%–5% salary enhancement for all employees and asked the district to hold health‑insurance premiums steady while exploring paid parental leave and continued substitute-retention programs.
The board heard similar staffing and resource requests from principals, who cited needs ranging from assistant principals and athletic staffing to stadium upgrades and expanded ASL instruction. Several board members said the presentations would inform the division’s upcoming budget deliberations and asked staff for comparative analyses of county salary data and the budgetary impact of proposed changes.
What’s next: the administration will factor these requests into the FY26 budget process; several board members asked for additional cost estimates and comparisons to county pay scales to present during budget season.
