County school board renews debate over artificial turf vs. grass fields during proposed capital budget review

Six high schools are set to get either new synthetic turf fields or replacement fields as part of Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) proposed six-year capital improvements program (CIP), a plan that sparked debate among county school board members Tuesday over whether the district should move forward with turf or explore installing more natural grass fields.  

MCPS Athletics Director Jeffrey Sullivan and Capital Budget and Projects Manager Donald Connelly joined the school board Tuesday to talk about the proposal for fields during a CIP work session at the school board headquarters at 15 W. Gude Drive in Rockville. They discussed the costs, benefits and drawbacks of natural and turf fields as part of the board’s review of the district’s $2.7 billion proposed CIP plan.  

In recent weeks, the board has held several work sessions to review the proposed CIP, and is expected to vote on the proposal during its Nov. 20 business meeting.   

The CIP calls for the district to spend $15 million during fiscal year 2027 for six turf installations or replacements. The amount also includes money for three or four playground replacements...

https://bethesdamagazine.com/2025/11/13/mcps-turf-debate/

Tues. Jan. 12th: Superintendent Jack Smith Will Hide $1.3M in Gifts to the City of Gaithersburg from the Board of Education.

On Tuesday, January 12, 2021, Superintendent Jack R. Smith will present the Montgomery County Board of Education with a memorandum demanding that they vote to pay for gifts to the City of Gaithersburg.  Superintendent Smith will tell the Board of Education that they MUST give these gifts to the City in exchange for the City handing over land for a new elementary school.  

But, the City of Gaithersburg has already handed over the Deed to this land "free of charge."  

On December 3, 2020, the Board of Education already  voted to accept the Deed without having to pay anything for the land.  

Yet, on January 12th, Superintendent Jack Smith will tell the Board of Education they now must buy gifts, specifically an artificial turf football field and baseball field bleachers, for the City of Gaithersburg in order to get the Deed to the City of Gaithersburg land for the new elementary school. 

Why did Superintendent Jack R. Smith hide these gifts from the Board of Education when they voted to accept this "free" land? 

Further, why does Superintendent Jack R. Smith's January 12th memo only list the cost for two of the seven gifts he has already promised to the City of Gaithersburg in exchange for this Deed? 

Here is what Superintendent Jack R. Smith committed to buy for the City of Gaithersburg according to the Land Acquisition Agreement that he signed:  

• County Board must pay for the cost and expense of all off-site easements. (Unknown total cost)

• County Board must pay for design and construction of an artificial turf field up to $800,000.

•  County Board must pay for the rough grade of the field, storm drainage and a sub base for the artificial turf field. ( average cost of grading, storm drainage and sub base in 2020 is $320,000)

• County Board is required to pay up to 25% for the future replacement of the artificial turf field (Unknown cost – Average cost of artificial turf football field surface in 2021 is $400,000. 25% of that cost in 2021 would be $100,000.  Future cost of artificial turf surface is unknown at this time.  

• County Board must pay for new, additional bleachers for the City of Gaithersburg. $26,000

• County Board must pay for 5 parking spaces dedicated to the City park visitors. (Approximate cost could be $10,000.)

• County Board must pay for a City tot lot. [Approximate cost $100,000 based on cost of recent City of Gaithersburg tot lot project.

The approximate current and future cost of the items that the Board of Education must pay in exchange for the "free" Deed from the City of Gaithersburg is $1,356,000. 

How does $1,356,000 = free of charge? 

Where is Superintendent Smith getting $1,356,000 from in the MCPS Operating Budget to pay for these gifts to the City of Gaithersburg? 

Howard school board considering teacher layoffs, class-size increases to save money amid contract discussions

During work sessions Tuesday and Wednesday, the Howard County Board of Education grappled with possibly increasing class sizes and laying off teachers to create room in the fiscal 2021 operating budget.

Meanwhile, the board has also been in a fight with the teachers’ union during the last two weeks over attempts to further negotiate their 2020-21 contract...

https://www.baltimoresun.com/maryland/howard/cng-ho-teachers-budget-06102020-20200611-qkcqfpld7rhuzn4si3tz2a6veq-story.html#nws=true

As Student Enrollment Slows MCPS Officials Take Another Look At The Budget

Updated at  2:48 p.m. on May 24th

For the second year in a row, Montgomery County Public school officials over projected the number of new students that would be enrolling in the district. This could mean less funding in the future, says Superintendent Jack Smith.

The Montgomery County Council Thursday finalized their $5.8 billion budget, despite the projected drop in students, the council was able to find funding for the school system through a combination of state and local contributions. While the formula fixes the problem, for now, it means less money in future fiscal years. The state is changing its funding formula starting in the fiscal year 2020, which could also mean less money allocated to county schools in coming years.

“This year we built a budget based on expecting about 1,200 new students next September,” Smith said. “We’re actually thinking at this point in the year we’re getting 700 or 800.”

For the past 10 years, county schools increased by about 2,000 new students every year. There were a total of 159,010 students enrolled in 2017 and 161,546 in 2018. While that enrollment is more, year over year, it was less than MCPS expected to have.

“We certainly don’t want to go to where we have a loss of student population,” Smith said...

https://wamu.org/story/19/05/23/second-year-of-student-growth-decline-for-mcps-could-spell-trouble-for-funding/

MCPS Superintendent wants $62.4 million Increase in MCPS Operating Budget

MCPS Superintendent Advances .5 Billion Budget Aimed at Racial, Economic Disparities: Smith says he’s looking to move more students to a ‘high level of learning’

Kicking the Can Down the Road: Salary Increases Moved to 2018

“The contracts were returned to Leggett, who had 10 days to renegotiate them with the unions. He returned them to the council last week with the increases not cut but shifted nearly entirely toward the next fiscal year. Council staff said the move would result in just $115,485 to be paid in salary increases for fiscal 2017 but $6.8 million devoted to raises in 2018.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/md-politics/montgomery-council-citing-schools-needs-trims-raises-for-unionized-employees/2016/05/16/ecdc8428-1b5e-11e6-b6e0-c53b7ef63b45_story.html?hpid=hp_local-news_moco-budget-615pm%3Ahomepage%2Fstory

Tonight: Join us for a candid discussion of the MCPS Operating Budget

Unanswered Budget Question

Fourth Annual Budgetpalooza!

Where the Montgomery County Civic Federation, the Montgomery County Taxpayers' League, and the Parents' Coalition of Montgomery County, MD, sponsor a look into the MCPS FY17 Operating Budget

Join us:

February 4th, 2016
at 7pm 
in Room D 
of the 
Bethesda-Chevy Chase Regional Services Center
4805 Edgemoor Lane, Bethesda

Marc Elrich and MCCPTA Pushing for Property Tax Increase [Even though no new teachers in MCPS budget]

...Council member Marc Elrich, who Leggett invited to speak toward the end of the forum, said he’d vote for a property tax increase but that getting all nine council members to support it is “virtually impossible.”
He encouraged residents instead to get a referendum on the ballot to do away with the requirement for unanimous approval.
“We ought to have an honest debate and if people don’t like us because we raised taxes, then they can elect us out of office,” Elrich said.
Paul Geller, vice president of the Montgomery County Council of Parent-Teacher Associations, told Leggett his organization is prepared to advocate for a property tax increase so the county can move toward reducing class sizes, adding more counselors in schools and making other additions to the education budget, which takes up roughly half of the county’s $5 billion annual budget...

http://www.bethesdamagazine.com/Bethesda-Beat/Web-2016/At-Budget-Forum-Leggett-Explains-Political-Difficulties-of-Raising-Taxes-to-Increase-Schools-Budget/

Maryland public schools spend between $12K and $17K per student in 2013

Maryland per-pupil spending
Create your own infographics