About our campaign to support school funding now and into the future
In order to make Montgomery County more economically competitive, attract jobs, and maintain a quality of life for current and future residents, we must address the school funding crisis now.
Let's begin to reclaim the resources needed for our students as well as services for our communities.
That is why we are coming together — a coalition representing more than 30,000 Montgomery County workers as well as parents, students, and community members — to support County Executive Marc Elrich’s revenue enhancement measure — a 10-cent increase in the County’s property tax rate. All the revenue generated by that increase will be exclusively directed to Montgomery County Public Schools.
What This Does
Here's what this 10-cent revenue enhancement measure does:
- Recruits and retains high-quality staff, including teachers, counselors, psychologists, bus drivers, classroom paraeducators, and school support staff, school nurses, health aids, school leaders, and administrators
- Reduces class sizes and overcrowding
- Fills vacant/unfilled positions — stop the hemorrhaging of staff leaving the district
- Ensures that MCPS has the staff to provide necessary services for English language learners and students with disabilities
And in their own words, here's what the measure means to members of the community:
Why Now
The revenue enhancement is reasonable, affordable and necessary. This is reasonable because all students deserve to have fully-staffed and fully-resourced schools. It is affordable with an average of $42 a month for commercial and residential property owners. It is necessary to reclaim funds to rebuild MCPS as a world-class school district.
Recruit
and Retain
This additional funding is needed to recruit and retain outstanding educators, teachers, and other essential school staff. It will also address the increase in special education enrollment.
Reviewed
May 25th
The recommended budget with the revenue enhancement will be reviewed by the County Council over the next two months. The Council will adopt the new County budget on May 25. The new budget will go into effect on July 1.
$3k Less
per Student
This revenue enhancement measure is to correct an ongoing imbalance in per student spending. Adjusted for inflation, per-student spending has gone down more than $3,000 in comparison to 2010.
Low
and Lowest
Montgomery County currently has the lowest commercial property tax and second lowest residential property tax in the National Capital Region.
Ranked
#5
In terms of per-student spending, Montgomery County is currently fifth among the largest school systems in the state.
3rd
Highest
If the proposed 10-cent tax increase is approved by Council by a majority vote, Montgomery County will become the third-highest in the state for per-pupil spending.
Vacancies
We cannot put students first if we put communities last.
Supporting Montgomery County means increasing the wages of educators and school staff — including classroom teachers, school counselors and administrators, school psychologists, media specialists, bus drivers, paraeducators, food service workers, assistant principals, and the list goes on.
In turn, this would free up vital resources for all county workers such as librarians, nurses, bus operators, 911 dispatchers, public transportation, public safety, health and human services, mental health professionals, school nurses, and health techs.
12.5% at the Police Department
Currently down 139 officers with 8 more retiring at the end of the month for a total of 147 equating to a 12.5% vacancy rate.
25% at the Crisis Center
Down 29 therapists equating to a 25% vacancy rate, making fully staffing the Crisis Mobile Teams intended to assist the police with our most troubled residence a fantasy.
16% at the DOCR
The Department of Correction & Rehabilitation is down 48 officers — equating to a 16% position vacancy rate.
35% at ECC
Down 69 positions at Emergency Communication Center, which is a 35% position vacancy rate.
27% in School Health
Down 61 career nurses and 38 career school health room technicians equating to a 27% vacancy rate in our school medical corp., which is critically impairing our ability to manage the health needs of the student population.
14.5% at the Sheriff’s Office
Down 22 sworn deputies equating to a 14.5% vacancy rate.