Following report on MCPS budgeting practices, community members urge focus on student outcomes

District rejected report saying its budgeting, staffing, harms Black, Latino students

July 24, 2026 11:48 a.m.

MCPS and Board of Education headquarters building. — MCPS and Board of Education headquarters in Rockville. Credit: Elia Griffin

In the wake of a recent report that said Montgomery County Public Schools’ (MCPS) budgeting and staffing practices disproportionately harm Black and Latino students, several community leaders are acknowledging the disparities while calling for the focus to shift to student outcomes.

“I’m disappointed and frustrated that we’re at this point where you’ve got [Montgomery County Office of Legislative Oversight] saying this, and then you’ve got MCPS [saying something else]. That doesn’t help further the conversation,” County Councilmember and chair of the council’s Education and Culture Committee Will Jawando (D-At-large) told Bethesda Today on Tuesday. “No one’s denying that our students with disabilities or students of color are not achieving and not having the access to resources that they need. Unfortunately, it’s kind of like talking past each other.”

For Ricky Ribeiro, an MCPS parent and member of the Black Coalition for Excellence in Education, the conclusions in the report were unsurprising, something echoed by Jawando.

“The report didn’t say anything I didn’t already feel or think,” Ribeiro said.

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The report was conducted after the County Council asked the Office of Legislative Oversight to study budget equity within the district to ensure that “every dollar is put to the best use to serve the greatest needs in our schools,” the July 14 report said.

According to the report, the underfunding of programs focused on addressing the impacts of poverty on student achievement and the concentration of inexperienced staff in schools with high poverty rates disproportionately hurts Black and Latino students.

“MCPS advances budget equity for students with disabilities by robustly funding its special education programs,” the report noted. “MCPS’ budgeting for programs to meet the learning needs of [students eligible for free and reduced-price meals] and [emergent multilingual learners] however, is not equitable.”

In a July 17 letter, the school district rejected many of the conclusions the report came to, noting that the district is bound by the Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination based on race, color, or national origin in programs or activities that receive federal financial assistance.

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“This report draws sweepingly dark conclusions from a narrowly defined and biased perspective of budget programming and allocation,” MCPS wrote. “It is unacceptable and irresponsible to accuse a public agency of racist resource allocation without substantial evidence, which this report does not provide.”

Tiffany Kelly, a former MCPS parent, candidate for Gaithersburg mayor and advocate said MCPS explained the legal framework for the budget but that “legal answers are not justice answers.”

“We, as a community, need to wonder why those needs are there in the first place. We cannot convene around education and not convene on housing or food insecurity or the criminal justice system, and MCPS frames itself as inheriting these inequities,” Kelly told Bethesda Today. “That’s true, but the question is whether any of its own policies, practices, or decisions also amplify or perpetuate these inequities, and that’s exactly why independent oversight like this OLO report matter.”

The report identified 15 key findings, including that the district’s budgeting practices center and privilege white students, harm Black and Latino students, especially harm Black students who are ineligible for special education or are emergent multilingual learners and that the fiscal year 2027 budget will widen funding and staffing inequalities.

Jawando noted that in the response from MCPS, while there was disagreement on discussions around data, the district also acknowledged that there was work to be done on student outcomes, including “disparate outcomes across our racial, ethnic, socio-economic, and special needs subgroups.”

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However, MCPS also said in its letter that the findings repeat demographic data, present correlations between budget data and performance gaps with “unverified assumptions” and draws conclusions without context of requirements for the district.

“At no point in this report was any unique finding presented that was different than any other school system in America, yet all findings were presented as attributed solely to MCPS and without context to broader issues with public education in the United States,” MCPS argued.

MCPS said in the letter that the findings of budget practices privileging white students and hurting Black and Latino students, were “inflammatory accusations that are not substantiated with true evidence,” and that they categorically rejected the conclusions. The district also noted that it recently updated staffing standards, including tiered system based on FARMS rates.

Ribeiro said he was more focused on the need to improve outcomes for students, but was disappointed in MCPS’ response.

“It is not helping Black students or parents to get the free and quality public education that we are entitled to, and I think it was a shameful response,” Ribeiro said. “I’m focused on outcomes. Are Black children getting as good of an education as their white or Asian counterparts? The data says no.”

Similarly, Jawando said that students needed to be the focus.

“To the extent that there’s any hyperbolic language or defensiveness, like we need to move past that. This is about the kids,” Jawando said. “This is about the students and families and the educators who are working really hard on their behalf, and the public who is allocating resources to make sure kids, like my kids, in the school system. We want to make sure they’re getting what they need.”

Jawando said the Education and Culture Committee would be discussing the report in the fall.

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Originally published at Bethesdamagazine