Board approves FY2027 operating budget after hours of public comment on staff cuts

The Montgomery County Board of Education voted to adopt a $3,724,289,307 fiscal 2027 operating budget on June 4 after hours of public testimony from students, staff and parents urging the board to restore proposed cuts to student-facing positions.

Superintendent Doctor Taylor told the board that since the May 21 presentation staff had realigned resources and restored several positions, including 18 school psychologists, 26.7 college and career navigator positions and 15 high school staff-development teachers. The superintendent described the changes as budget-neutral realignments intended to preserve core supports while meeting fiscal constraints.

Board President Rivera-Oven read the resolution’s appropriation totals and asked for a motion. The motion passed on a roll call in which most board members voted in favor and one member, Miss Montoya, was recorded in opposition. The board recorded the adoption of the FY2027 budget and directed administration to submit required documents to the state.

The vote capped a prolonged public-comment period in which dozens of speakers described the impact of cuts on students’ mental health, special education services, literacy programs and college and career supports. “If we eliminate the very people who helped achieve this progress, we are pulling the support out from underneath the students who rely on these workers daily,” said 11th-grader Greg Nelson, describing roles such as English composition assistants and media specialists.

Union and association leaders also urged the board to do more. A speaker identifying themself as the executive vice president of SEIU Local 500 said cuts would “place even more unreasonable burden on those who remain,” and Chris Simpkins, a consulting teacher, warned that eliminating consulting-teacher posts would “severely undermine professional growth.”

Board members said the decision was painful and reflected the county’s reduced local appropriation and broader fiscal constraints. Several members who voted for the budget said they did so to ensure the district had an operating plan in place while continuing to press county leaders for more funding. “This allocation represents the chronic underfunding of public education,” board member Adam Zimmerman said, noting he voted to adopt an operating budget despite disagreeing with cuts.

What the budget does and does not do: administration’s presentation listed specific reductions and restorations. Among the updates since May 21 were reductions in proposed new secondary literacy specialists and security positions and restorations described above; the county’s final appropriation reduced the board’s earlier request by roughly $61 million. The board also adopted a Special Education Staffing Plan and asked the superintendent to recommend any category transfers to the County Council for approval.

Next steps: Administration will implement the staffing and category transfers approved in the resolution and submit the Special Education Staffing Plan to the Maryland State Department of Education as required. Board members and community groups said they would continue advocacy with the County Council and pursue additional options to preserve school-based supports.

The board recessed for a short break after the vote and continued the rest of its scheduled business for the afternoon.