Now it is April, and the recommended county funding for instruction in MCPS is on the table. MCCPTA welcomed the recommended operating budget County Executive Ike Leggett put forward, a budget that goes $26 million above the minimum required by law (MOE).

During this week's County Council hearings, we must insist that the Council start its operating budget discussion based on the County Executive's proposal, and then find some or all of the $15 million gap between his recommendation and that of the Board of Education. We must demand that funding levels be determined by students' needs, economic reality, and our shared values and priorities. It is the County Council's turn to demonstrate that they prioritize our schools and students, both when state money is involved and when the local money over which they have sole authority is on the line.