(The Center Square) – The Montgomery County Board of Education voted Thursday to approve a $3.72 billion budget for fiscal year 2027 that cuts 415 positions after county officials approved less funding than the district originally requested.
The board approved the spending plan in a 7-1 vote following weeks of debate over staffing cuts and budget priorities in Maryland’s largest school system.
The County Council approved about $3.72 billion for Montgomery County Public Schools on May 21, a 3.6% increase over the current fiscal year budget but roughly $61 million below the board’s total tentatively adopted February proposal, according to district budget documents.
The local contribution totals about $2.46 billion, an increase of roughly $118.7 million from fiscal year 2026 and more than $161 million above the state’s required Maintenance of Effort minimum.
State aid totals about $1.05 billion, while federal funding totals nearly $98.7 million, according to the district’s final adoption memo.
Superintendent Thomas W. Taylor said the district worked to keep reductions “as far away from the classroom as possible” while maintaining core academic services and long-term financial stability.
The staffing reductions include cuts across central services, social worker positions, special education elementary resource teachers and English composition assistants, according to district documents.
District officials said the reductions included 43 social worker positions, about 119 special education elementary resource teacher positions and about 39 English composition assistant positions.
The budget also includes a one-time $25 million contribution from the county’s OPEB Trust Fund to help offset retiree health benefit costs.
Despite the reductions, the final spending plan restored 15 high school staff development teacher positions, 18 school psychologist positions and about 27 college and career navigator positions that had previously faced elimination.
Board President Grace Rivera-Oven called the decisions “incredibly personal, excruciating and painful” before the vote.
County Councilmember Evan Glass separately criticized the budget process as “broken” and called for greater transparency and accountability in how Montgomery County Public Schools develops its spending plan.
Glass also said district enrollment has declined by roughly 9,000 students over the past seven years while district spending has continued to increase.
The fiscal year 2027 budget takes effect July 1.
