u/KCND02

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1SR33EiR27m5qStdTL7TfeFWHHt9Gt7FC/view?usp=sharing

Positions on the official chopping block now include all social workers, school psychologists, Special Education department heads, pupil personnel workers (who conduct welfare checks on children / support students experience homelessness, truancy, and other crises), and composition assistants (support staff for ELA - often double as para-educators for special ed and provide sub support).

He sent it in the middle of the school day too - essentially telling over 400 people that they're losing their jobs while they're still in the building.

FYI - 1.0 FTE = one full time position. So 435.7 FTE cut means over 400 full time jobs cut.

UPDATE: I see a lot of people asking about the number of assistant principals (APs) at each school. We are actually supposed to get an additional AP at our school next year, but now probably won't. AP's have become the main source of discipline in schools. The student body gets cut up alphabetically, with each AP getting a set of kids (like last names A through F, etc.). Because fighting, truancy, and so many other extreme behaviors are up in the county, the APs are actually pretty overloaded. The more AP's there are, the less students per AP, and thus the less spread thin they are.

That being said, extreme student behaviors will only get SO much worse if they cut social workers, psychologist, and pupil personnel workers. I wouldn't be surprised if with these cuts, a lot of APs flee the job. This might sound offensive to some, but they're basically bona-fide prison guards, who also have to supervise and complete observations on teachers in their designated department (which gets switched every three years), coordinate state testing, attend IEP and EMT meetings, etc. The six figure salary sounds like a lot, but there is no amount of money you could offer me to do that job with what its become nowadays...

I just finished it and I don't get it. He finds a box of human teeth proving this woman was a serial killer, then its never mentioned again. After a ton of activity that seems malevolent, he ends the film by saying he considers her a friend, and thinks she considers him a friend too. Then there's recovered footage at the end.

What am I missing? Is the implication that he's being emotionally manipulated by the ghost? Him saying the thing about her being a friend is so weird I thought the movie was going to take a turn into possession, but then nothing happened. Am I supposed to read something into it, or am I just supposed to think he's a stupid man that's empathizing with a woman that murdered children because she gives him some attention???

Today all MCPS staff received a very scary email from the superintendent warning of the largest staff reduction in decades. He included a list of every job on the chopping block based on the reduction in funding. If you have a friend in the county on this list, I highly recommend taking them out for a drink this weekend. People are panicking, and rightfully so.

Here's the list:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1OA8HANnsPlM7-xyvfma4H_0nRLQRYaKo/view?usp=sharing

And the full email:

Dear MCPS Employees,

I am writing today to share extremely serious concerns about operating budget proposals currently under consideration by the Montgomery County Council for the 2026–2027 school year.  You may have heard on the news or from others about the budget shortfall the County is facing.  

What is currently being discussed has the potential to significantly impact Montgomery County Public Schools, you (our teammates), and the services we provide to students and families every single day.  So please watch the video message from me, and read the rest of this message for more specifics on what we can expect in the coming days. 

Watch Video https://mcpsmd.info/3Rz8SQw 

I do want to acknowledge that this is a difficult fiscal environment for our county government funding partners. We understand the challenge of balancing many competing priorities across Montgomery County. None of this is easy.

Last week, I spoke directly to the County Council during a work session about what “less” would actually mean for MCPS. I spoke honestly about the consequences any reductions would have on our students, our staff, and the daily operation of this school system. They have asked me to share more details about what this will look like and I have provided them with a scenario about what potential reductions could look like - it looks awful. 

The MCPS recommended operating budget was not built around expansion or excess; it was built around what is necessary to maintain our negotiated employee agreements, sustain services for students, address rising operational costs, and continue to strengthen the work happening in classrooms every day. It also reflects ongoing obligations that cannot continue to be deferred, including investments in aging facilities, failing HVAC systems, maintenance needs, and long-standing financial obligations related to employee benefits.

The reductions being considered range from $30 million to as much as $90 million (or more) below the MCPS proposed and Board of Education approved request. To be very honest with you, reductions on this scale are not manageable through “efficiencies.” They are not minor adjustments. At every level, they are significant. The possible reductions may be viewed here.

We are a system of people, not things. Approximately 90% of the MCPS operating budget is personnel costs, salaries and benefits for the people who make this school system work every day. And in our budget, there are only two places where reductions of this magnitude realistically occur: the number of people employed and what they are paid. 

To put this into perspective, every $10 million reduction roughly equates to 100 full-time positions in MCPS.

MCPS has not experienced potential workforce reductions on this scale in many decades.

Some of you may remember that in past years, staffing adjustments could be managed through retirements, resignations, vacancies, and what is known as lapse and turnover savings. We don’t have that option now. Enrollment is declining, vacancies are fewer, and many positions require specific skills or certifications.

If the worst of these funding proposals become our reality, the impact would extend across the district and could affect all aspects of the work we do, the work you do for Montgomery County Public Schools.

The budget process will move quickly in the coming weeks, and we will continue to share information with you as we have it. I also ask that we support one another during this difficult time and extend empathy and compassion to colleagues who may be affected by these discussions and potential decisions. Thank you for continuing to support the students, staff, and families of Montgomery County Public Schools.

Sincerely,

Thomas W. Taylor, Ed.D., M.B.A.
Superintendent of Schools