The Montgomery County Board of Education unanimously approved the MCPS operating budget for Fiscal Year 2026, Feb. 4. The revised budget request increases spending by $36.762 million, bringing the total budget for the county’s public school system to $3.65 billion — an adjustment to Superintendent Thomas W. Taylor’s original $3.61 billion proposal, released Dec. 18.
Following Taylor’s initial budget proposal, the board hosted three work sessions, two public hearings and three information sessions to give community members a platform to learn about, discuss and voice their opinions on MCPS budget operations.
The board will submit the budget to the Montgomery County Executive and County Council for consideration Feb. 28. Final approval is expected May 22. The board plans to adopt the finalized budget June 10.
Taylor expressed his pride in the Board for elevating the voices of the MCPS community and taking steps to correct budget issues.
“The Board of Education has worked incredibly hard during this budget season to ask really tough questions to dive in deep,” Taylor said during the Board meeting. “From the onset of my arrival, we’ve been talking about budget and some of the challenges and opportunities that we’ve experienced and that we knew we needed to address.”
The revised budget accounts for the full impact of Governor Wes Moore’s proposed budget, including further revenue spending. Moore’s shift of pension costs from the state to local government increased the budget by $20.861 million.
The county’s addition of 22 Community Schools increased the budget by another $19.32 million. These schools collaborate with community partners and local governments to provide students, families and communities with health, mental health and academic support services. Unidentified changes from the Board added another $2.77 million to the original budget.
MCPS Chief Financial Officer Ivon Alfonso Windsor said the budget’s priority is refocusing on the fundamentals after the county lost the ESSER Grant, which provided funding to K-12 schools to address the impact of COVID-19. She also said the budget focuses on recruiting and retaining staff, special education needs and infrastructure improvements.
“The budget changes every year based on the needs of our students, our staff and the community because we need everyone to collaborate to be a successful school system,” Windsor said. “My work is really with the superintendent, the board and the stakeholders to make sure that their priorities come to align with the budget.”
The Board reduced spending by $1.19 million through multiple amendments. One amendment postponed the renaming of Magruder High School, cutting $800,000 from the budget. Another reduced funding by $250,000 for the Leadership Development Program, which prepares aspiring leaders with the necessary knowledge and skills to become MCPS principals. The final amendment eliminated the instructional specialist for social-emotional learning, transferring those responsibilities to existing county staff.
Additionally, the Board trimmed $5 million from lapse and turnover savings, which occur when positions remain unfilled or new hires earn lower salaries than their predecessors.
Whitman junior Charlotte Thatch said she finds it interesting to see how community and Board input can shape the budget.
“I am curious to see what other changes will happen that directly affect us as students in the budget,” Thatch said. “I appreciate the Board for valuing and holding meetings to consider the ideas of people in the county.”
