MCPS to Launch New Data Portal with Budget Information

In an attempt to make public school data more user-friendly and available to the public, Montgomery County Public Schools announced last week it plans to launch a data portal where it will post a break-down of its operating budget and other information.
MCPS plans to launch the new website in January. The site will offer the superintendent’s recommended budget as well as enrollment data and school boundary information.
The move comes as officials and members of the public questioned why the MCPS budget was not included in a new online data portal launched by the county in July. That portal allows users to access county government budget data to see how much funding specific agencies receive and what they spend it on.
Dana Tofig, MCPS spokesman, said in an email Tuesday the county didn't invite the school system to participate in the portal until shortly before it first launched and that because its budget is very different than the county's they weren't able to make it fit into the categories used by the county portal...