Vote No on Secret Budget Meetings

Tomorrow Montgomery County voters will have the chance to vote whether or not they want the Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) budget set in public by the Board of Education or behind closed doors by a secret committee.

Maryland law calls for the MCPS budget to be set by the Board of Education in a public process, but that hasn't happened in the last decade. Click here to read how the MCPS budget used to be formulated.

The Parents' Coalition documented the existence of the MCPS backroom, secret budget committee in March of 2012 when we made public Agendas that were obtained through a Maryland Public Information Act request. You won't find these documents on the MCPS website.  

We know that participation in these backroom budget meetings requires the participants to sign confidentiality agreements.  Yes, the people that set the MCPS public school budget sign that they will keep the MCPS budget setting process a secret. Yes, it's a public budget funded from public dollars, but the participants in this backroom meeting don't think you should know what they discuss.

We know that all three unions, MCPS administrators and MCCPTA participate in these backroom budget meetings. There are no Board of Education members or representatives of the public permitted in the room for these meetings.

It's your choice.  The Apple Ballot candidates support the backroom, secret budget process that sets the MCPS budget without any community input or public process. Those are the candidates that will support this continuing violation of Maryland law.

Vote for the Apple Ballot to support the continuation of the backroom, secret budget meetings.

Vote to return the MCPS budget to the Board of Education table for a public budget process by choosing non-Apple Ballot candidates.