Council places $179M school funding increase on reconciliation list after tense budget hearing; restores $722,579 MCPS tracking reduction

The Montgomery County Council placed the county executive’s proposed $179 million local funding increase for Montgomery County Public Schools on the reconciliation list in 10 tranches, after an extended public budget hearing that brought school leaders, union representatives and council members into repeated exchanges about possible reductions.

"Our proposed fiscal year 2027 operating budget reflects the minimal level of investment that is needed to restore MCPS' legacy of excellence," Board of Education President Grace Rivera Oven told the council, urging members to provide sufficient funding to honor negotiated agreements and support more than 155,000 students.

Superintendent Thomas Taylor said the school system’s request is an increase of $179 million in local funding and warned that deeper reductions would translate directly into lost staff and services. "Reductions to the school system's budget will translate into lost people and services," Taylor said, stressing that about 90% of the system’s budget is compensation and that elimination of large sums would likely force difficult personnel and program cuts.

David Stein, who represents the Montgomery County Educators Association, thanked the council for proclamations honoring educators but pressed elected officials to pair words with funding. "For a lot of my members, these words are hollow," Stein said, criticizing budget scenarios that could lead to layoffs and urging the council to find a budget solution that protects MCPS.

Council deliberations also focused on a procedural issue involving the George B. Thomas Saturday School, a program currently funded through the Department of Health and Human Services. A joint-committee action had added a $722,579 reduction to the MCPS tracking list tied to that program. Councilmember Kristen Mink moved to remove that reduction from MCPS’s tracking sheet so decisions about the Saturday-school funding would be handled in HHS, not by treating it as a cut to MCPS; the motion passed unanimously.

Councilmembers asked MCPS to clarify how different levels of reductions (for example $30 million versus $90 million) would affect operations. Superintendent Taylor said $30 million would require eliminating discretionary items and potentially about 100 positions beyond the discretionary bucket; a $90 million reduction would likely force contract re-openings and much deeper staff losses.

The Education & Culture Committee’s recommendation to place the $179 million local funding increase on the reconciliation list went forward for further deliberation; council members noted the difficult trade-offs they face in the absence of a property‑tax increase and amid competing priorities across county services. The council will continue reconciliation and budget votes in the coming days.