Final Budget Approval by the Board of Education 6/11/2024

The Board of Education is set to approve the budget that was passed on 5/23/2024. The budget cuts are still in place and the county PTA is hoping to find other budget line items that would minimize or eliminate loss of positions. If you are able to copy the below and send the email here 

 

[Your Name]

[Your Address]

 

The Honorable Andrew Friedson

Members of the County Council

Council Office Building

100 Maryland Ave., 6th Floor

Rockville, MD  20850

 

Dear President Friedson and Members of the Council,

I am the [father of three students] at [school name], a delegate representing [school] at the Montgomery County Council of Parent-Teacher Associations (MCCPTA), and an MCCPTA cluster coordinator for the [name of cluster]. I write this letter in my personal capacity and not on behalf of any organization.

I write to urge the Council to fully fund the Fiscal Year 2025 operating budget submitted for the Montgomery County Public Schools and to reject cuts to that budget that may be suggested. Specifically, I urge the Council not to fund MCPS in a way that requires or encourages MCPS to increase class sizes, eliminate staff positions, or eliminate special education programs.

We need to decrease—not increase—class sizes, which are already too large, particularly at the elementary level. MCPS lists stated maximums of 24 students for kindergarten, 25 students for first and second grade, 26 students for third grade, and 28 students for fourth and fifth grade. Significantly, all classes must have at least one student above the maximum class size, and one class must have at least two students above the maximum class size, in order for the school to request additional staffing. Therefore, a kindergarten class may have as many as 26 students in a class, and a fourth or fifth grade class may have as many as 30 students in a class.

Most elementary classrooms are heterogenous, and the needs of students in these classrooms vary significantly, from students needing remedial instruction, to on-grade-level students, to students who qualify for enrichment. The existing large class sizes at the elementary level make it exceedingly difficult for teachers to provide differentiated instruction. An increase in class size will make it even more difficult for teachers to meet the needs of all students in their classrooms.

Thank you for your consideration of these views.

Sincerely,
[name]