Montgomery County schools will come up nearly 250 jobs short of initial expectations after the school board finalized a 2009 operating budget on Tuesday that will increase many teachers’ workloads while delaying planned reforms and expansions, especially at the middle school level.
The $2.1 billion budget will require 54 central office employees and 12 school-based employees to lose their current jobs, and an additional 182 planned-for positions to remain unfilled.
Although the 2009 budget is $82 million more than 2008’s, it’s about $45 million less than the school board’s request to County Executive Ike Leggett earlier in the year.
Included in the budget is a 5 percent salary increase for employees based on union negotiations earlier in the year, a hike some see as exorbitant in tight budget times and as funds for facilities maintenance are cut.
“The board has to be careful to protect the [buildings’] infrastructure,” said outgoing school board member Sharon Cox, explaining the teachers’ and administrators’ unions had disproportionate sway in determining the budget. “Where there is no money, you can’t just be [negotiating] with the people who will be asking for more,” Cox said.
Facility improvement initiatives came in $10.2 million below initial expectations.
Board president Nancy Navarro voiced support for the pay raises despite their ramifications. “This strategic investment in our workforce is particularly important as demands on staff become even greater,” she said.
A statement released by the district explained that changes would need to be made in order to accommodate the loss of teachers.
“More teachers who have had release periods this year will be required to teach one or two more classes,” the statement said. “Teachers will be moved from classes and schools where class sizes are small to schools with oversized classes in August and September.”
Superintendent Weast said the necessary changes would require “an even better job of managing our resources.”
Enrollment throughout the 140,000-student district is expected to decrease overall next year, but officials plan for increases in the earliest grades.
