Montgomery County Council member Will Jawando echoed previous comments by the county’s school superintendent Thomas Taylor that the district’s fiscal 2027 operating budget is not loaded down with extras, but is geared toward keeping the school system running.
“There’s no bells and whistles here, this is educator funding, it’s to help reduce class size a little bit,” Jawando, who chairs the county’s Education and Culture Committee, said of the nearly $3.8 billion spending plan.
At the same time, Jawando said in an interview with WTOP, the budget plan continues funding “things like counselors, school psychologists, some of the mental health service supports that our students need.”
Noting that the budget proposed by Taylor cuts staff at the school system’s central office, saving a potential $11.5 million, Jawando said, “It shows a continued commitment to shifting resources back into the classroom.”
Jawando, who is running for county executive, also said student test scores are up slightly, “not where we want them to be, but you don’t get more with less, and our educators are working really hard.”
The council has the authority to approve the school budget when it votes on the spending plan in May.
The almost $4 billion budget plan comes in a year when county and state budgets are tight, but Jawando said, “I don’t think there’s an option for us not to fund the school budget” at the requested level.
At his recent weekly briefing with reporters, Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich said, “I’m optimistic that we’re going to be able to fully fund the budget.”
Jawando, who pointed out he’s a father of four, said the school system plays a critical role in the county’s ability to attract residents.
“As a former MCPS student myself, it is the reason people move here. We have to keep moving in the right direction.”
Parent groups and students themselves have focused on proposed changes to school boundaries and the state of school facilities in recent public comment portions of school board meetings.
“The school system also has been addressing legacy issues, such as the maintenance of our buildings,” Jawando said.
There have been complaints of mold, failing fire alarms and spotty heat and air quality functions at a number of schools. Sherwood High School recently canceled classes after broken sprinklers caused flooding in the school, damaging at least 12 classrooms.
Regarding the backlog of work needed at schools across the county, Jawando noted there are 211 schools, and according to data from MCPS, more than half those are 25 years old.
“We’re in a really unique and difficult situation,” Jawando said, regarding the work needed on aging school facilities, “but that’s when I think we can be most innovative and figure out ways to handle this multiyear problem. It’s not going to happen overnight.”
Superintendent Taylor’s proposed fiscal 2027 budget will be the subject of a work session at the Board of Education on Jan. 6.
A series of budget hearings will follow before the county executive releases his proposed budget recommendations in March and the county council begins its work on the spending plans with a final vote in May.
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