'Budgetpalooza' to Dissect Starr's Plan for Montgomery County Schools

With the Montgomery County School Board’s budget hearings complete, parent and civics groups are hosting their own forum on the proposed budget for the 2013-2014 school year.

The forum, dubbed a “Book Club Budgetpalooza”—a name borrowing from the “book club” discussions hosted by MCPS Superintendent Joshua P. Starr and calling to mind the alternative rock festival founded by Perry Farrell—will be held 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesday in the first floor meeting room of Rockville Memorial Library, at 21 Maryland Ave. in Rockville Town Square.

It is hosted by the Montgomery County Civic Federation, the Parents' Coalition of Montgomery County, MD, and the Montgomery County Taxpayers League.

“We will go chapter by chapter through the proposed MCPS FY14 budget of $2.2 billion, which is over half of our entire county budget,” according to a news release from the Parents’ Coalition.

Click here for more details.

Want to brush up on the budget before Wednesday? The Parents’ Coalition recently posted a “searchable” version of Starr’s fiscal 2014 budget proposal on the parent watchdog group’s blog.

The remaining budget schedule is:

• Feb. 12: The school board adopts a budget request for consideration by Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett (D).
• March 15: Leggett outline his fiscal 2014 county operating budget recommendations.
• April—May: The Montgomery County Council holds operating budget hearings and work sessions.
• May 16: The County Council finalizes the fiscal 2014 operating budget.