by Evelyn San Miguel ’26

MCPS has reduced the budget for the 2024-25 school year, cutting programs like the Virtual Academy, increasing class sizes, and delaying the expansion of the pre-kindergarten program. The cuts come as a result of losses in pandemic relief funds and also a $30 million shortfall of the Board of Education’s funding request.

As the 2024-25 school year crept closer, MCPS faced the pressing issue of how to compensate for a financial loss from the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) fund as a part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, passed by Congress at the start of the pandemic. Relief from ESSER provided for around 14 percent of the Operating Budget from 2020-24. The last of the relief to expire — ESSER III — provided for $252.2 million in the budget.

This loss of funds, combined with receiving around $30 million less than what they requested for approval by the Montgomery County Council, led MCPS to cut the Virtual Academy, a K-12 program that expanded the online learning style that was seen during the pandemic. Facing pushback over the closure, Superintendent Thomas Taylor proposed the expansion of more hybrid-learning opportunities, though told Moco360 that reopening the virtual school was “not an option.’’

Increased class sizes have posed difficulties for teachers as more students means less individual support time for students, a problem that teachers already faced before budget cuts. Schools have been forced to accommodate larger classes, and as school operating costs have risen, administrators and school boards have to tackle the question of which programs need to be cut.

MCPS, in the 2022-23 school year alone, saw the resignation of more than 635 teachers. This added to the shortage of teachers across Maryland in more than 28 departments, including English as a second language, Special Education, Art, and Music. As a result, the county has been forced to make up for staff shortages, compensating for the unintended consequences of the pandemic with enlarged class sizes and the cutting of major programs.

MCEA Sherwood Representative Glenn Miller discussed the budget cuts with Sherwood staff. “There was a lot of anxiety about what those cuts would do,” Miller told The Warrior. Many staff have reported increased class sizes and a need for further support through hiring more teachers, but are unable to “because we aren’t given the staffing [in the budget].” From what he has been told from staff, the trends for class sizes are impacting mostly core classes, with many teachers “seeing upwards of 30 to 34 [students per class].”

Moving forward, Miller wants MCPS to reconsider how it directs its funding. “[MCPS] shouldn’t fund ongoing costs with one-time money,” Miller said in reference to the depletion of pandemic relief funds. To ensure staff and students are not going to get left behind, Miller said that The Board of Education and Superintendent Taylor need to prioritize being “intentional and transparent.”