The interim superintendent of Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) is recommending that the school district eliminate hundreds of positions, delay raises, and end or slow the purchase of Chromebooks for classrooms in an effort to close a $53 million budget gap.
Last month, the Montgomery County Council approved a $2.32 billion operating budget for the school district -- $53 million shy of what the Board of Education had requested. The Council's budget is funded at the minimum level required by state law.
The Montgomery County Board of Education is scheduled to approve the final operating budget June 16.
"There are no easy answers when you have to make a budget cut of this size, especially in an organization like MCPS, where 90 percent of your budget goes toward paying for the people who do the important work every day," said Interim Superintendent Larry Bowers in a press release.
The school board already cut $10.3 million from the budget back in February; a month later, Bowers announced that MCPS would cut 40 central office positions. He also announced that he wouldn't fill 370 teaching and support positions.
The job cuts will save about $25.5 million.
MCPS said the reductions will result in some increased class sizes, but will have a smaller impact on schools that serve more economically disadvantaged students. Some of the budget will be readjusted to restore more than 30 school-based positions for special education or English for Speakers of Other Languages services.
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On Tuesday, MCPS announced the plan will also delay pay raises for MCPS employees by one pay period, from Oct. 3 to Oct. 17. MCPS says the move will save more than $3 million.
In addition, MCPS is no longer planning to buy additional Chromebooks. A technology initiative had placed the laptops in 3rd, 5th and 6th grade classrooms and in high school social studies classes this year. The initial plan for the 2015-2016 school year was to purchase more devices for 2nd, 4th and 7th grades, as well as one other high school subject; those devices will not be purchased.
The superintendent's original budget also included more than $8.2 million in strategic investments; the board's budget request slashed $5.7 million of that amount. Bowers is now recommending cutting it even more, leaving only $1.3 million for enhancements and also cutting budgets for professional development, textbooks and other programs.
