Many testified before the school board Thursday evening in Rockville asking for funding in the Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) operating budget.
Topics included class sizes, hate in schools, school violence threats, restorative justice, staffing, and virtual school.
Last month, Superintendent Dr. Thomas Taylor recommended a $3.61 billion operating budget for the next school year, which is a nearly 9% increase over the current budget.
Junhua Liu, a Wootton cluster coordinator, said the cluster is deeply concerned about planned increases in class sizes.
She also encouraged the school board to address hate in schools by funding comprehensive anti-bias training for staff and students. Wootton High School’s principal was placed on leave last month after a racist incident at the school.
Student Luka Saracevic said funding is needed to address an onslaught of school gun and bomb threats — “central office must work with each individual school to develop a comprehensive security plan tailored specifically to them, and this Board of Education must fund them.”
Students asked MCPS to fund and expand restorative justice programs. Evin Fernando, a sophomore at Watkins Mill High School, asked for more funding for restorative justice in schools. He said it could have helped him avoid unfair discipline if he had been exposed to it. Rajan Bell, a junior at Wheaton High School, also urged MCPS to expand on restorative justice.
Junee Kim, a Watkins Mill High School student, shared her experience with restorative justice — “This approach took away the need for short-term punitive punishments, such as suspensions and detentions, which do not address the underlying problem.”
Sterling High, a parent who had kids enrolled in the school system’s now-closed virtual academy, advocated for a non-discretionary comprehensive virtual school in the budget. The Montgomery Virtual Academy was eliminated during last year’s budget process due to a lack of funding, according to MCPS.
Amy Ackerberg-Hastings, with the Montgomery County Council of PTAs (MCCPTA), said MCPS’ request for increased funding seems reasonable and realistic — “in particular, a full complement of special education teachers and full-time paraprofessionals is desperately needed throughout the county.”
Thursday was the first of two budget public hearings. The next public hearing is Monday, Jan. 27. The school board will take tentative action on the proposed budget next month.
Featured photo courtesy MCPS livestream
