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Thank you for being here with us tonight. I'm Lorenzo Hall. So, that budget cuts more than 400 school positions. We've been following the debate over this for weeks now, but we know those cuts are official. Our Sarah Robinson was there for today's final decision, which led to emotional outbursts from parents and staff. There were lots of tears in the boardroom today from staff worried about their futures. Parents concerned about their children, and even board members who say they did not want to make these cuts. YOU GUYS AREN'T PROTECTING OUR KIDS. Who's going to support Metro? Emotions ran high Thursday as the board of education took its final vote on the MCPS budget. The school system is getting $36 million less than what
Superintendent Thomas Taylor originally requested from the county. To balance the budget, the district will eliminate 415 full-time positions, some of which are new or vacant. Many of the cuts are support staff roles, including social workers, family engagement specialists, and media assistants. We all do this job with the deepest love that we have. Trust me, we don't do it for the pay. Parents and employees urged the board to reconsider, arguing support staff provide critical services for students and families. Several speakers pointed to the importance of school-based mental health supports, particularly following
the shooting at Wooten High School earlier this year. The crisis does not disappear because the budget line does, student mental health needs will not disappear. We're looking at a road ahead that looks even more challenging than the one we're facing today. While speakers repeatedly called on the board to find cuts elsewhere, board members said the reality of the district's finances left them with few alternatives. True leadership means confronting reality exactly as it is. The board ultimately approved the plan in a 7 to1 vote. Rita Mononttoya was the only board member to vote against it.
There should have been more reviews, more conversations, more discussions, and because I cannot look you, our community, in the eye and say that I feel that we've done that, I cannot support this budget. Superintendent Thomas Taylor mentioned that he does have long-term concerns for future budgets, especially fiscal year 2028. He also mentioned that when you account for inflation over the past couple of years, the district is actually receiving less funding than it did 15 years ago. Reporting in Montgomery County, I'm Sarah Robinson, W USA9.
