Superintendent Releases Recommended Fiscal Year 2022 Operating Budget

Superintendent Jack R. Smith is recommending a $2.713 billion operating budget for Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 that will allow the district to provide a continuation of key services and reflects the significant impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on operating costs and projected revenues.

This budget recommendation is a decrease of $42.6 million and a 1.5 percent decrease compared to the current fiscal year.

Watch the Superintendent’s Operating Budget Video Presentation. See the FY 2022 Budget Highlights one-pager.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, MCPS has experienced a significant change in enrollment as a result of families selecting other sources of education. The district’s official enrollment as of Sept. 30, 2020, is 160,564, which is more than 3,600 fewer kindergarten through grade 12 students than were enrolled in 2019. Based on state law, this would result in a decrease of $39.8 million in local contribution revenue from Montgomery County for FY 2022. The district anticipates that the majority of these families will re-enroll in MCPS next school year.

“The MCPS operating budget recommendation for FY 2022 is the work we must do for our students and staff,” Smith said. “This operating budget is a moral document and a reflection of our values and the high expectations we have for ourselves in support of our students; it is what our community expects for Montgomery County Public Schools.”

Additional areas of concern for the FY 2022 budget:

• Decreased revenue projections for the state of Maryland and Montgomery County
• Potential loss of the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future (Kirwan Commission funding)
• Projected post-pandemic enrollment return of 2,500–3,000 students
• Post-pandemic surge in employee health care costs due to delayed medical procedures

Other important considerations driving this budget request:

• Maintaining critical staffing levels for students returning to MCPS
• Providing mental health and social-emotional supports for students and staff
• Providing additional supports to combat learning loss and assist struggling learners
• Making needed investments in technology to support continued virtual learning where appropriate

The recommended FY 2022 operating budget continues the focus on students, classrooms and schools, and is centered on the MCPS core purpose of preparing all students to thrive in their futures.

The MCPS operating budget for FY 2022 will be revisited throughout the budget season as more becomes known about state and local factors.

The full recommended budget is available here.

The timeline for the FY 2022 operating budget is:

• Monday, Jan. 11: Operating budget public hearing
• Thursday, Jan. 14: Operating budget work session
• Tuesday, Jan. 19: Operating budget public hearing
• Thursday, Jan. 21: Operating budget work session
• Monday, Jan. 25: Operating budget work session
• Late February: Tentative adoption of recommended operating budget
• Monday, March 15: County Executive to release recommended operating budget
• Thursday, May 20: Montgomery County Council approves operating budget
• Thursday, June 10: Board of Education to adopt final FY 2022 operating budget

Ask an operating budget question.