MyMCMedia reported that Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich and Council Vice President Will Jawando urged county officials to fully fund MCPS’s $3.65 billion capital budget, proposing an income tax increase from 3.2% to 3.3% — costing a person earning $100,000 approximately $100 annually.
“This is us trying to catch up.”
— Council Vice President Will Jawando
Jawando described students entering MCPS as facing “the steepest needs in a generation,” noting a 37% increase in students whose primary language isn’t English and that “nearly half our students are in poverty.” He warned that without adequate funding, “teachers will burn out and leave the district” and test scores would decline.