by Yaana Jewel ‘28

This summer, the MCPS Board of Education adopted a $3.72 billion fiscal 2027 budget for MCPS in a 7-1 vote, with the district obtaining $36 million less from the County Council than the requested budget. The tighter budget led to hundreds of jobs getting cut throughout MCPS schools. The district overall did receive $143 million more compared to the previous year’s approved budget. 

There was a $13.7 million reduction in Special Education funding, $9 million in Student Personnel Services, and $3.1 million cut from Transportation positions.  Approximately $35 million total were reduced from the initial budget, not including some of the other cut positions– which apply to the middle and elementary schools. According to Superintendent Thomas Taylor, the cuts included 159 vacant jobs, 113 from support services, and 28 from central services.  Fifteen high school staff development teachers, 18 school psychologists, 26 college and career navigators, and various English composition assistants were cut. Some positions originally funded but eventually eliminated were 12 secondary literary specialists, 28 security assistants, and 118 special education resource teachers. 

“The reality is, a lot of the work isn’t going to be done. There will be a reduction in service,” said Taylor in the summer. The district’s operating budget was 98-percent funded; therefore, the school system needed $61 million to close the gap. Furthermore, the school system stated that some of the positions discussed were funded with federal Covid-19 relief funds that expired, requiring local funding or elimination. According to Taylor, the final number of cut positions weren’t as bad as expected. 

“Thomas Taylor and his team still toiled with that $36 million gap. And here’s the thing about school budgets that people sometimes forget — 90 percent of the money is spent on salaries for teachers, counselors, and support staff,” said County Executive Marc Elrich. Board members said they looked to these reductions to minimize the impact of cuts on classrooms.

MCPS recently has indicated that the budget situation for next year looks bleak, and that difficult choices of what to fund will be unavoidable. “This entire situation is a shame because the people running our schools and teaching our kids deserve better than having to justify their value every single budget season,” said Elrich.