Teachers union, Montgomery County schools heading into tough bargaining negotiations

The teachers union for Maryland’s largest school district is rallying its members ahead of a Thursday night bargaining session, saying that Montgomery County Public Schools leaders made devastating proposals to deal with financial challenges.

District officials say the union is making false claims about their intentions.

The messaging foreshadows more contentious rounds of negotiations as educators push for a new contract.

In an email blast to members Thursday morning, the Montgomery County Education Association said district officials came to the bargaining table on Wednesday night threatening jobs, wages and health insurance.

“This is an unacceptable scare tactic,” the email states.

District spokeswoman Liliana López said claims that health insurance will be taken away and that the district is proposing 0% wage increases for three years are false.

“We are not threatening reductions in force. We remain fully committed to good-faith negotiations that prioritize student needs while maintaining strict financial responsibility. At the same time, our fiscal crisis is real,” she wrote in an email to The Banner.

Union leaders urged teachers to show up to a Thursday evening bargaining session to demonstrate the group’s unity as the contract fight continues.

“We understand that bargaining is tough, but it requires a sincere exchange of meaningful proposals between both parties. MCPS’s bargaining proposals last night were unacceptable,” union President David Stein said in a statement. “We hope that tonight’s bargaining session gets us back on track.”

The current MCEA contract runs through June 30, 2027.

Budget fights

Montgomery County school leaders — like districts across the state and country — are facing tough financial straits as they contend with declining enrollment and high inflation.

The school board approved in June a roughly $3.7 billion budget that eliminated 415 staff positions. Some of the positions were vacant, and many impacted employees moved into new jobs in the district.

The district’s cuts came after the County Council adopted its own $7.9 billion operating budget, nearly half of which flowed to the public school system.

While the county’s allocation provided the district with $143 million more than it received in the last fiscal year, the figure was tens of millions of dollars short of what Superintendent Thomas Taylor said was needed.

During the budget fight, Council President Natali Fani-González proposed that the county’s unions receive smaller raises than expected, in an effort to save tens of millions of dollars.

Union members anticipated general wage increases of 2.5% to 3% and other potential pay raises.

Fani-González wanted employees to instead receive a 2% “general wage adjustment.”

Her plan was blasted by the unions and didn’t gain traction.

Taylor honored the district’s agreement with the teachers union, providing salary bumps for MCPS employees effective July 1, 2026.

Educators received a 3.25% cost-of-living raise, along with step increases.