MCPS board cuts 415 staff positions but protects school psychologists

In an emotional Thursday vote, the Montgomery County school board approved a roughly $3.7 billion budget that will eliminate 415 staff positions.

The cuts are slightly less severe than had been initially recommended. Superintendent Thomas Taylor reversed his proposal to cut 18 school psychologists and more than two dozen career and college navigators.

Instead, district officials decided not to hire 28 new security assistants and 12 additional literacy specialists.

Still on the chopping block are social workers, media assistants, family engagement specialists and other staff who focus on helping children succeed.

“Student mental health needs will not disappear because the positions disappear,” social worker Ayana Manzanares told the board.

Several of the positions that will be cut are currently vacant. Still, many people are expected to lose their jobs.

School board President Grace Rivera-Oven called the budget decisions “excruciating,” but said the district had to face its financial reality. District officials said they tried to keep cuts as far away from the classroom as possible.

The budget passed with only Rita Montoya voting against it.

The County Council recently adopted a $7.9 billion operating budget, nearly half of which will flow to the public school system.

The budget provides the district with $143 million more than it received in the current fiscal year, but it falls tens of millions of dollars short of what Taylor said was needed.

After some financial finagling, the district was left with a $36 million funding hole.

MCPS is facing the fallout of steep inflation and declining enrollment, which is straining the district’s finances. In a district where roughly 90% of funds go to personnel costs, Taylor said staff cuts were unavoidable.

The boardroom was packed for the vote, with many community members visibly upset by the budget choices. One woman was escorted out after yelling toward the dais, “You guys aren’t protecting our kids.” Another man shouted that social workers supported teenagers after the Wootton High School shooting, but questioned what would happen the next time gunfire erupts inside a campus.

The tight budget forced Taylor to backtrack on some of his ideas for school improvement. For example, he’d originally proposed spending millions on a plan to ensure that every elementary school had a resource teacher for special education.

He described the position as a campus authority on special education law who can help with the paperwork and other administrative tasks to ensure that kids with disabilities get the support they need.

“These are critical support positions,” Taylor said in December.

Months after making that proposal, the superintendent is in a position to cut positions rather than add new ones.

“This is a budget of no joy,” he said ahead of Thursday’s vote.