Bowers to Ask MCPS School Board to Send Funding Memo to Council
There’s likely to be a letter headed to the Montgomery County Council outlining how the Montgomery County Public School system will handle a budget that is less than requested.
Larry Bowers
Photo | MCPS
The Board of Education is scheduled to meet March 30 and on the agenda is approval of a letter from Interim Superintendent Larry Bowers to the County Council listing the impact of the Fiscal Year 2016 operating budget funding at the maintenance of effort level.
In February, the Board of Education approved a Fiscal Year (FY) 2016 Operating Budget Request that includes a 4 percent increase in spending compared with this year’s budget. The Board’s $2.39 billion request accounts a cut in state aid and includes savings and reductions beyond what was in the superintendent’s December budget recommendation. The Board’s budget request assumes that the county will provide $23.3 million needed to restore one-time revenue sources used to fund the current FY 2015 budget. The difference between the Board’s request and the minimum funding level required by state law—called Maintenance of Effort—is about $80 million.
Bowers plan to bridge the funding gap includes withholding 370 school-based positions and a reduction of the rate of the retirement contribution for MCPS employees.
You can read the proposed letter below.
MCPS Plan for Funding Gap Includes Fewer Teachers, Larger Class Size
Montgomery County’s Interim Superintendent for schools announced Monday that the school system is planning for a reduction in staffing and increases in class sizes at all grade levels in preparation for a budget request that might not get fully funded. Larry Bowers, released the information to the school system staff Monday. In February, the Board of […]
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