Please see Mrs. O’s Spotlight for the Week of January 18.
Please note the following important budget information and how you can help provide feedback:
- Interim Superintendent Larry Bowers submitted a $2.4 billion Recommended Operating Budget for Fiscal Year 2017 to the Board of Education on December 8. The recommended budget increase is a modest 4.5 percent, which will pay for the same level of services for more than 2,500 new students. Recommendations include investments to improve student literacy and math skills; build the cultural proficiency of staff; foster stronger partnerships with the community and our families to support students; and better organize the district to ensure every student is prepared for college and careers.
- There are a variety of ways that you can learn more about the MCPS budget and become involved in the budget process this year, including the new Budget 101 website; Neighbor to Neighbor small-group discussions; Parent Academy workshops; and an overview video and other budget materials available on the MCPS budget webpage. Visit the budget webpage at www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/budget/ to read more about these resources and how to make your voice heard.
- MCPS needs full funding of its budget this year to prevent further cuts and to begin reinvesting in education. Anything less than full funding would likely require further cuts that could impact every school. Be sure to share your ideas and views on the importance of funding the MCPS operating budget with our elected Montgomery County officials—the Montgomery County Board of Education, the County Executive, and the Montgomery County Council—through emails, letters, short videos, and testimonials. The Board of Education will be holding two public hearings on the budget recommendation: the first was Thursday, January 7; the second is Thursday, January 14.
- The county will hold budget forums in January to seek input from residents about the county’s FY 2017 budget priorities. The remaining forums, which begin at 7 p.m., are scheduled as follows:
- January 20, Silver Spring Regional Services Center, One Veterans Place, Silver Spring
- January 21, Mid-County Community Recreation Center, 2004 Queensguard Road, Silver Spring
- January 25, BlackRock Center for the Arts, 12901 Town Commons Drive, Germantown
- Five Education Budget Meetings, presented by Montgomery County Councilmember Craig Rice, MCPS Interim Superintendent Larry Bowers, and Montgomery College President DeRionne Pollard, are scheduled for February and March. Find out how budget decisions are made, what the county is doing today to get ready for FY 2017 and beyond, and the opportunities residents have to influence budget decisions. The meetings will take place from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. at the following locations:
- February 17, Montgomery College, BE Building, Room 151, 20200 Observation Drive, Germantown
- February 24, Albert Einstein High School, 11135 Newport Mill Road, Kensington
- March 9, Gaithersburg High School, 101 Education Blvd., Gaithersburg
- March 16, Col. Zadok Magruder High School, 5939 Muncaster Mill Road, Rockville
- March 23, Thomas S. Wootton High School, 2100 Wootton Pkwy., Rockville
- Learn how the MCPS operating budget is built and gain a deeper understanding of why it’s essential to invest in our schools. Mark your calendar for one of three Budget 101 Parent Academy workshops that MCPS is hosting this winter. You’ll learn where our funding comes from, how it’s spent, and how individual schools are staffed to ensure we are meeting the needs of every student. The workshops are scheduled for January 20 at Francis Scott Key Middle School in Silver Spring; February 17 at the Carver Educational Services Center in Rockville; and March 7 at Forest Oak Middle School in Gaithersburg. All workshops begin at 7:00 p.m. Childcare is provided for children ages 4 through 12.