Budget Overview
The County Executive's role in the MCPS budget process is to present to the County Council a recommended total budget. The total Recommended FY25 budget is $3,292.8 million, an increase of $127.8 million, or 4.0 percent over the FY24 Approved budget of $3,165.0 million. This recommended budget exceeds the amount required by the State's Maintenance of Effort (MOE) law by $132.8 million. In response to the Board of Education's requested budget, an increase of $187.9 million, the County Executive's recommended budget funds 98.2 percent of the Board's request.
Separately, in addition to funding the MCPS' budget, $27.2 million will be provided by the County from the Consolidated Retiree Health Benefits Trust for the purpose of paying retiree health claims in FY25.
The County also supports operations of the school system through expenditures in other budgets. For example:
- School health services, childhood wellness, mental health services, and Linkages to Learning programs are provided by the Department of Health and Human Services;
- High speed internet service provided by the County's FiberNet program;
- Research and internet resources are made available in the Montgomery County Public Libraries' budget;
- Crossing guards are provided by the Department of Police;
- Sports academies for youth are sponsored by the Department of Recreation;
- Reimbursements for classroom and school sports field rentals by residents or organizations are provided by the Community Use of Public Facilities; and
- The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission provides maintenance of MCPS' ballfields.
In addition to the total recommended in the operating budget for public schools, MCPS' Capital Improvements Program (CIP) requires County funding. Approximately $31.8 million in FY25 Current Revenue: General, $51.1 million in Recordation Tax, and $21.0 million in Recordation Tax Premium are recommended in the FY25-FY30 CIP (including March amendments). The Debt Service requirement for the MCPS capital program is estimated at $158.8 million in FY25.
The table below summarizes the contributions to MCPS that are appropriated in other departments or agencies:
The recommended budget includes the County's contribution of $2,102.4 million (63.8 percent of all recommended funding). There are no carryover funds from prior-year appropriations. State Aid and grants total $971.4 million (29.5 percent); Federal grants and aid total $112.8 million (3.4 percent); and tuition, fees, and private grants total $15.2 million (0.5 percent). The recommended appropriation for the fee-supported Enterprise Fund is $89.5 million (2.7 percent) and for the Special Revenue Fund is $1.5 million (0.05 percent).
Tax Supported Funding for the Public Schools
For FY25, the total tax-supported portion of the County Executive's recommended budget (excluding grants, enterprise funds, fund balance, and special revenue funds) is $3,076.4 million, an increase of $122.4 million, or 4.1 percent from the FY24 adjusted tax-supported spending, driven by increases in the County contribution and State funding. The tax-supported portion of the recommendation includes a FY25 local contribution of $2,102.4 million. The local contribution represents a $106.9 million increase from the prior-year appropriation.
MOE is a State requirement that each jurisdiction spend at last as much per-student on its local school district as it did in the prior year in order to receive additional State Aid. This requirement increases when enrollment grows and decreases when enrollment declines. For FY25, MOE allows for a decrease of $25.9 million. With a recommended County contribution increase of $106.9 million over FY24, the County Executive's budget exceeds the MOE-required level by $132.8 million.
Fiscal Summary
The County Executive's total recommended budget, from all funding sources, is $3,292.8 million, and funds 98.2 percent of the BOE request. The County Executive relies on the BOE to determine the most appropriate manner to deliver educational services within its recommended budget allocation.
However, §5-102 (c)(2) of the Education Article requires Montgomery County to "indicate in writing which major categories of the annual budget of the county board have been denied in whole or reduced in part and the reason for the denial or reduction," a law that pertains only to counties whose "governing body... consists of a county executive and county council," §5-102 (c)(1).
The County Executive recommends fully funding the Board's $79.5 million requested increase for employee salaries and benefits, $20.0 million increase for the Employees Group Insurance Trust Fund, moves the $33.1 million previously funded with Federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds to the MCPS base budget, and funds the requested $8.2 million increase for Blueprint Accelerators for Pre-K expansion. This increase is offset by recommended decreases to the MCPS base budget of $14.2 million for efficiencies identified by MCPS in its request, as well as reducing the funding for the Montgomery Virtual academy by 50 percent ($2.1 million), a budget reduction to reflect that staff development teachers must spend at least 60 percent of their time in the classroom ($10.6 million), and a base budget reduction in contractual services of $7.0 million.
Spending Affordability
In February 2024, the Montgomery County Council approved FY25 Spending Affordability Guidelines (SAG) of $2,936.8 million for the tax-supported funds of MCPS. The BOE requested $3,136.5 million in tax-supported funds, exceeding the SAG guideline by $199.7 million. The County Executive's recommendation is $139.6 million above the SAG guideline.
Additional Budget Details
The County Executive affirms the authority of the BOE to establish educational policy and determine the allocation of appropriated funds in support of the mission of the public school system. Complete information regarding the MCPS' budget request is available in the FY25 Operating Budget tentatively adopted by the BOE in February 2024. Copies of that budget are available at Montgomery County libraries, on the MCPS website, and upon request from the school system.