Courtney Mabeus, The Examiner
2008-01-16 08:00:00.0
Current rank: Not ranked

WASHINGTON -

Despite a tight budget year, growing demands for special education and English as a second language instruction are forcing Montgomery County Public Schools officials to add almost 200 positions in the coming fiscal year.

The new positions will help lift the school district’s overall payroll by almost $90 million, from $1.35 billion to $1.44 billion.

The new slots — about a third of which are necessary for special education and immigrant students — come even as the school system has unchanged enrollment rates overall.

Superintendent Jerry D. Weast has projected an enrollment increase of only 18 students for the coming fiscal year.

But an increasingly diverse student body has different, and more expensive, needs.

About 80 of the 191 additional staff, included in the fiscal 2009 budget proposed by Weast in December, are expected to serve special education and non-English-speaking students.

Administrators say the new positions will also help the system “catch up” with the enrollment of 738 more students than officials had projected for the current fiscal year, which ends June 30.

“We have to make up for that,” said Marshall Spatz, director of the county schools’ Department of Management, Budget and Planning. “That’s basically what it is.”

The increase will more than offset the 70 positions being eliminated for the next year.

In December, when a projected county budget shortfall of $401 million was announced, Weast raised the possibility of layoffs and put in place a hiring freeze for “non-essential” positions.

Marvin Weinman, president of the county taxpayer league, said he would testify tonight on Weast’s proposed budget before the Board of Education.

He said he was concerned that the schools would continue to add employees even as overall enrollment remains steady.

“We have a new mantra: ‘Will you be able to live in Montgomery County next year?’ ” Weinman said.

Montgomery Enrollment

2007-08: 137,736 overall

» 14,000 English as a second language

» 9,095 special education

2008-09: 137,745 (projected)

» 15,650 English as a second language (+1,605)

» 9,306 special education (+211)

cmabeus@dcexaminer.com