The largest school districts around the region are shelling out big bucks to publicize their successes, but as talk swirls around program cuts and wiped-out raises for teachers, some question the necessity of schools’ spin machines.

Montgomery County budgeted the most money for its 78-person communications team, asking for $8.7 million of the district’s $2.1 billion requested fiscal 2009 budget, up nearly $700,000 from the current year.

Fairfax County, only slightly larger and less diverse, budgeted about $1.9 million for 2009, down $100,000 from 2008. However, several of the most expensive categories under Montgomery’s department, such as a cable television station and cost-intensive printing and graphics, are shifted to other departments in Fairfax.

“I am sure that if you compare functions completely and accurately, the Fairfax school system spends a comparable amount on the range of communications products and services needed by a large school system,” said Montgomery spokeswoman Kate Harrison. A major cost, Harrison said, is an entire in-house publishing service.

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“They spend a lot of time churning out nothing other than propaganda — puff pieces — celebrate this and celebrate that,” said Montgomery County Councilman Marc Elrich, who taught in the school system for 17 years.

To bring attention to less congratulatory information, Elrich said, would be useful “to help people understand the magnitude of the problems we’re dealing with.”

In neighboring Prince George’s County, a 25-person communications team requested $3.3 million for next school year. By including the 25-person staff devoted to family and community outreach, as Montgomery and Fairfax do, the total amount reaches $5.7 million.

John White, the district’s communications officer, defends the dollars by saying most of them go toward communication with parents and students, not packaging news for the media.

“Messaging is a double-edged sword. Many say we don’t get enough of the good news out, and others look at the budget and think that’s all we’re doing,” White said. “The truth is, it’s both.”

lfabel@dcexaminer.com