Students are improving but still must continue to grow their reading and math skills, said Montgomery County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Monifa McKnight Monday.
To continue to “reconstruct” education, McKnight urged the Board of Education to adopt her proposed $3.2 billion operating budget. That budget represents an 8 percent increase above the current budget, which is a $235.4 million increase.
In the proposed budget, money is allocated for a new reading program for grades kindergarten to second grade and emphasis will be made on middle school math skills. The budget includes funding to recruit more teachers who will be paid enough to live in the county.
Her budget also includes money to cover fees for all students who want to take Advanced Placement (AP) tests and covers costs and fees of high school students who enroll in college courses. The budget also includes dollars for its CollegeTracks program, which would add five more high schools.
If the budget is passed as is, two more elementary schools will hold classes year-round, and three more schools would become dual language schools. Two of those would be in Spanish and one in Chinese.
Also proposed is funding to expand pre-k and inclusive classrooms for children with disabilities.
It is important to invest in schools, she said, noting, “You can only gain where there is an investment.”
Enrollment, which has decreased during 2021 and 2022, is back on the upswing, she said. There currently are 160,554 students, which is about 2,000 more than the previous school year but still fewer than in years 2019 and 2020.
