On Thursday, Dec. 17, 2019, Montgomery County Public Schools Superintendent Jack Smith revealed a proposal for a $2.7 billion operating budget for the fiscal year 2022. What separates this year’s budget proposal from those of previous years is that it is actually a decrease from the year before. The current budget is roughly $41.6 million more than the proposed budget, which will result in a 1.5% decrease in the budget overall. Although 1.5% may not seem like a large value, 1.5% of billions of dollars is a considerable sum. MCPS officials report that the last time the fiscal year budget was decreased was during the Great Recession in 2008, a period of great economic decline. However, as the $2.7 billion budget previously stated is a proposal, it will undergo extensive and thorough review by the school board and Montgomery County Council before the actual budget will be set in stone.
The state of the budget is much worse than it may appear on the surface. MCPS enrollment is down over 5,000 students heading into the next school year, in large part due to the coronavirus pandemic. This becomes a big issue because large parts of MCPS funding depend on enrollment. State funding for MCPS is expected to decrease by $10 million and uncertainty regarding the Blueprint of Maryland’s Future could cause a loss of up to $27 million in funding. Because of these unfavorable losses, the proposed budget is $37 million more than the minimum the County Council is required to give them. This is due to the Maryland Maintenance of Effort law, which states that the county government must provide at least an equal amount of funding per student as the previous year. As the enrollment is much less than the previous year, the proposed budget is well above the minimum required.
Having a substantial budget will be especially important heading into 2022 because of the deep and far-reaching consequences of the pandemic. Smith has outlined the numerous goals and focuses for the 2022 school year, including increasing mental support for both staff and students and maintaining a virtual instruction option for students who do not feel comfortable returning to in-person classes. Online learning has impacted students in many ways, especially concerning mental health. In order to maintain the well-being of the students, it is essential that a substantial budget is approved.
Although it is undeniable that the budget is expected to decrease, the reality is not as cut and dry as that. Since much of the budget depends on the number of students enrolled, it is not surprising that the total value is less. It is possible that the funding per student is roughly the same as it is currently, so the negative connotation and appearance of the “budget decreased” statements are a bit misleading.
Article by Steven Wang of Montgomery Blair High School
Photo by Anna Lee of Richard Montgomery High School