Montgomery County Public Schools forecasted a decline of over 300 enrolled students in FY2024-25 but will need to fill several necessary positions in the County and meet with rising operating costs.
Lori Graham
Contributing Writer
On Monday, Feb. 26, Montgomery County Public Schools administrators presented their Budget Statement of Needs to the Board of Supervisors and public with a budget of over $153 million for FY2024-25, compared to the previous year’s over $140 million.
Superintendent Dr. Bernard Bragen presented the Board of Supervisors with the FY2023-24 budget accomplishments, budget development process, an overview of the governor’s proposed budget, the 2024-25 budget development goals, and the school board’s funding request that includes both their operating and school nutrition funds.
“We should never lose sight of what we are doing here. This is not about buildings, it’s not about adults, it’s about children,” Bragen said. “It’s about providing children in a public school forum the opportunities for them to become all their capable of becoming and the core of our democracy is public education, and we want to make sure we ask for all that we think is needed for us to provide the opportunities for all of our children.”
Deputy Superintendent for Operations Dr. Annie Whittaker presented on the past accomplishments of Montgomery County Schools. A 5% salary increase in the fall of 2023 plus another 2% increase, effective Jan. 1, 2024, salary corrections for individual staff as part of a staff study, self-funded health insurance account without an increase to employee-only premiums, and eight additional positions, four athletic trainers and four custodians, were the main points of Whittaker’s presentation.
In October of 2023, the administration began meeting with representatives in preparation of group budget presentations, Whittaker said. This was followed in November by a budget request template provided to individual schools and departments. In December, these group representatives presented their recommendations for consideration to the school board. Youngkin released his proposed 2024-2026 budget on Dec. 20, 2023.
On Jan. 4, the VDOE sent the budget calculation tool, which is based on the governor’s proposed budget, and the Superintendent’s Statement of Needs was then presented to the School Board on Jan. 23. The superintendent’s proposed budget was presented Feb. 6 and the school board approved their request for funding on Feb. 20.
“The budget proposed by the governor includes an increase in support for K-12 education over the biennium,” Whittaker said. “It funds staffing requirements for the Literacy Act, includes a 1% bonus in FY25, 2% salary increase in FY26, bolsters teacher retirement fund in VRS, and it also includes technical adjustments to lottery proceeds, sales tax and incentive programs, and removal of sales tax hold harmless.”
The superintendent expressed goals during the presentation to continue the programs currently in place, increase staffing, increase minimum starting pay to $15 an hour, extend work day for paraprofessionals and nursing staff, increasing employee salaries by 5% with a possible 1% bonus based on the Governor’s proposal and local funding, coping with the rising cost of healthcare, increase funding for services, supplies, materials, and equipment, purchase 750 Chromebooks, and purchase four new school buses.
“Our fleet is about 125 school buses or so,” Bragen said. “Ideally, we would like to replace about 10 a year. They have a lifespan of about 15 years, but we are turning in some of the electric school buses that we are going to get reimbursed for brand new diesel/gasoline, so that would get us to those eight buses we had wanted in the beginning.”
Specific strategic goal information was also presented and included along with the full, detailed budget statement, which has been made available by MCPS administrators on the Montgomery County website at www.montva.com.
“Once those requests come up, are they looked at in aggregate,” said Supervisor Anthony Grafsky. “Is there any chance that there are duplicate requests that make their way into the final budget?”
“We will look at it as a district or division level…I don’t think there is anything duplicated across schools or divisions,” Bragen said.
Whittaker said that they will however look at repeated requests from different schools in that it shows a greater need for something across the division.
“I’ve heard it come up a couple of times where we need to add custodians, we need to add maintenance staff; we’re still kicking it in the average was about $36,000, try to word this right, supported to the best ability that they could for the amount of work that they do. So, I just want to annotate that because I only saw maybe four positions being added for custodial staff,” Supervisor Derek Kitts said.
“And three maintenance staff,” Bragen said.
“You want to raise minimum wage to $15 and right now they are making $14, is that…if you raise them to $15 is that plus the 5% you are asking for the raise,” Supervisor Todd King said.
“For those groups it would take them up, if they are less than 5%…everyone would get at least 5%,” Whittaker said. “It would not be $15 and 5% additional.”
Whittaker also said that the minimum custodial staff currently makes is approximately $13 an hour.
Supervisor and Vice Chair Steve Fijalkowski requested a detailed explanation of the number of staff in each category that are receiving an increase, for example the paraprofessionals and nurses. The vice chair also requested more detail explaining carryovers, or the amount of money not spent and integrated into the new fiscal year.
“For many years, your carryovers have been huge and I’m sure it’s a percentage and I’m sure it averages out over time so, with this much of an increase I expect your carryovers are also going to increase,” Fijalkowski said. “Have you all ever looked at where the major source of the money that is not spent is coming from, do y’all have an idea of that?”
“I can speak to what I understand from last year,” Bragen said. “Our last year-end was not very significant from $134 million budget; it was around $900,000 and change and I believe most of that money we are planning on putting in our health reserve account. I think it would typically come from salaries, what we didn’t expend.”
This was agreed by Whittaker to be from people retiring and new employees coming in at a lower rate of pay.
An expected enrollment decline in the county of over 300 students is offset by an increase in positions needed for additional preschool programs in the Eastern Montgomery and Riner areas of the county. There are also mental services needs in the county, Bragen said, requiring more support. An additional gifted teacher and an additional nurse, along with grounds and maintenance positions previously mentioned.
Supervisor April DeMotts asked for an explanation of the Dean of Students position, which is the only position MCPS is asking for additional funding to support.
Bragen said that this position is a retired administrator, previously paid for by ESSR’s funds, “in one of our middle schools that more discipline infractions and more behavioral issues than some of our other schools and we wanted to provide the additional support there, and it has been really successful this year working with the administration and staff at that school, they’ve done a really nice job in reducing those discipline infractions as well as increasing the students’ attendance.”
King also requested the expense report of what MCPS has spent on collective bargaining, which will be shared with all supervisors following the meeting.
During the next MCPS Board meeting, individuals completing the AMPS, Alternative Model for Professional Studies certification will be celebrated. The 30-month program is designed to meet the need of teacher shortages and provides a pathway for individuals that meet educational requirements to teach but lack the K-12 endorsement.