BOE Approves FY 2017 Budget and Makes Final Call on Collective Bargaining Agreement
The Montgomery County Board of Education unanimously approved the final Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) Fiscal Year 2017 Operating budget today.
The budget is a $139 million increase over the Fiscal Year 2016 budget and according to a news release, includes $37.9 million in targeted funding aimed to reduce MCPS class sizes and close the achievement gap.
“This budget represents an important reinvestment in our students and our schools,” said Michael Durso, president of the Board of Education. “The resources in this budget not only help us keep pace with enrollment, but also allow us to take bold, meaningful steps toward closing the achievement gap. In addition, this budget allows us to give our well-deserving employees a salary increase next year. I am grateful to the county executive, County Council President Nancy Floreen and the County Council, and our community for their unwavering support for public education,” he said.
Prior to the budget vote, the Board also took action on resolutions to amend collective bargaining agreements with employee associations and unions.
The Council’s approved budget fell short of the requested funding amount by the Board, Interim Superintendent Larry Bowers said during a BOE worksession on Tuesday.
“When the Council adopted the budget the approved budget was $41 million less than what was requested by the Board of Education. And the Council adopted the budget on May 26th…in reducing the Board’s budget they did not approve sufficient funds to fully implement negotiated agreements that the Board have previously negotiated with our employee associations and unions,” Bowers said.
Bowers said that the Montgomery County Education Association, Montgomery County Association of Administrators, Montgomery County Business and Operations Administrators Bargaining Units, and the Service Employees International Union Local 500 Unit, had yet to reach a mutual agreements with the BOE, but resolutions were introduced by the BOE to amend the current contracts in order to move forward with approving the Fiscal 2017 budget.
The BOE unanimously voted to pass the resolutions. The amended agreements moves a one percent salary increase scheduled for September 3, 2016 to July 1, 2016. The “make up step” originally scheduled for May 4, 2017 will also not be implemented in the fiscal year 2017 budget.
For more information on the amendments and budget, visit the BOE website.
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