According to the MCPS website, the MCPS budget for Fiscal Year 2016 has been set at 2.3 billion dollars. The budget will be spent on many different areas of MCPS. Generally, most of this money comes from the county, with more than 65%. The state and the federal government contribute less, at   27% and 3%, respectively.

Over the past several years, MCPS enrollment has grown by over seventeen thousand students. This results in MCPS receiving more funds. Most of the funds go directly into the schools, with 80% going into teachers, staff, and materials. Another fourteen percent goes to bus transportation and meals. Less than two percent goes to the central office, which is related to hiring teachers, training teachers, and providing direct support to the county’s schools. Still, most of the budget is for people, which is why more than 90% of the budget is spent on salaries and job benefits for staff.

But not all schools receive equal funding. MCPS usually only hires new teachers when class sizes get too high. For example, MCPS wants elementary school classes to be below 28 students. If the number of students increases, which will result in larger class sizes, MCPS will hire more teachers to make sure the number stays below 28 students per class. There are other guidelines too. Schools that have more FARMS (Free and Reduced Meals Students) and more ESOL students will receive more classroom teachers, academic intervention teachers, ESOL staff, and educational assistants.  Elementary, middle, and high schools all operate on this same principle. Staff is provided to schools based on enrollment and need. This usually means that schools with higher poverty levels will receive on average up to 15-20 more staff than other schools to lower class sizes and to support students. This also means that schools that have a disadvantage will receive more funding.

When told about this, sophomore Brooks Perks still believes this is fair, and said that he thinks that “schools with more economically challenged [students] should be given more money for school programs to help them…”

Staff are also assigned in other ways. Special education staff are assigned based on individual needs of students, or a school might have a special program, and therefore more staff might be needed.