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Record of Proceedings

Education and Culture Committee Meeting – April 13, 2026

County Council & Committees — Monday, April 13, 2026
BodyMontgomery County, Maryland
SessionCounty Council & Committees
DateMonday, April 13, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 2:04:34

Original source
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0:02

Good morning, everyone.

0:03

Welcome to the Education and Culture Committee.

0:06

I'm the chair of Will Jawando.

0:08

I'm joined by my colleagues, Councilmember Evans and Mink.

0:11

And it is Monday, April 13th.

0:15

And we are have we have a packed agenda today, but we're going to move efficiently and proactively through it.

0:22

First, we're going to discuss community use of public facilities.

0:25

This is our first session considering the operating budget for FY27.

0:33

And the first item will be community use of public facilities.

0:35

Then we'll talk about public libraries, the Tacoma Park Library non-departmental account.

0:40

And then we'll have our first of four sessions for MCPS's operating budget.

0:45

And we heard last week from over 200 residents about what they wanted to see come out of the operating budget.

0:53

And all of these topics that we're talking about today were on the list.

0:56

We heard a lot about libraries, we heard a lot about schools.

0:58

We heard a lot about uh community use of public facilities.

1:03

So uh we're gonna dive right in.

1:05

Um I'm gonna turn it over to Ms.

1:08

Rodriguez Hernandez to tee up CUF.

1:10

And I know we maybe you'll introduce your team if you have any opening comments.

1:14

I think you have a couple of slides as well, right?

1:18

Slides are yours.

1:19

Okay.

1:20

So maybe we'll start.

1:21

Do you want to introduce uh you yourself and your team?

1:24

And if you have anything you want to say at the top, certainly.

1:26

You have to press your mic to the right there.

1:28

Yeah.

1:28

There you go.

1:30

Do I need to pull it towards you a little bit?

1:32

There you go.

1:33

There you go.

1:33

And I can let go.

1:34

You can let go.

1:35

You can hear me fine.

1:35

Yeah.

1:36

Excellent.

1:36

Go ahead.

1:36

But you have to stand up, turn around.

1:38

No, no, you don't need to.

1:40

You're really about to put me on the spot.

1:42

Good morning, everyone.

1:43

Uh, and thank you so much uh for having us today.

1:46

My name is Janelle Burwell.

1:47

I'm the director of CUF, uh recent director of CUF.

1:50

Uh, haven't even been with the county for six months yet.

1:53

And I um am just excited to be here.

1:56

I'm learning so much about uh this uh incredible department, and I certainly have um just uh an awesome team with me here today.

2:05

Vanessa, who's been with the county, I think almost over 20 years, uh and she's our financial manager, so she is the numbers guru.

2:11

Uh so I'm very, very grateful uh for her uh leadership on the team, and I'm grateful for uh her knowledge and subject matter expertise.

2:20

And then, of course, we have Monora with uh Owen B, who is our OMB analyst.

2:23

Great.

2:24

All right, wonderful.

2:25

So if if that's we can turn it over to staff and run through, I know we've got some options to consider uh and see has made some recommendations, so we'll we'll talk through that.

2:35

And if you all want to chime in on anything, I'm sure there might be questions from colleagues.

2:39

Well, then we'll make some determinations.

2:40

Sure.

2:41

Or an easy preliminary determinations.

2:43

Certainly.

2:43

Yes.

2:44

All right, good morning, council members.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Public Education█████████████████████████████████████████████49%
Budget Equity Analysis██████████████████████24%
Public Libraries████████9%
Procedural████4%
Racial Equity███3%
Public Safety███3%
Technology and Innovation██2%
Senior Services██2%
Facility Planning█1%
Summary of Proceedings

Education and Culture Committee Meeting – April 13, 2026

The Education and Culture Committee, chaired by Councilmember Will Jawando and joined by Councilmembers Shebra Evans and Kristin Mink, met on Monday, April 13, 2026, to review the FY27 operating budget for several county departments. The committee discussed the Community Use of Public Facilities (CUF) budget, Montgomery County Public Libraries (MCPL), the Takoma Park Library non-departmental account, and opened the first of four sessions on the Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) operating budget. Over 200 residents had testified the previous week on these topics.

Consent Calendar

  • No formal consent calendar was used. The committee approved routine items without objection, including concurrence with the county executive’s other recommendations for CUF and approval of the Takoma Park Library funding increase of 8.04% (based on a statutory formula).

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Public testimony was heard in a prior session (the week of April 6, 2026). Residents spoke strongly in favor of library services, Sunday hours, and school funding. No additional public testimony was taken during this committee meeting.

Discussion Items

  • Community Use of Public Facilities (CUF): Director Janelle Burwell presented the FY27 operating budget. CUF is a non-tax-supported enterprise fund. The county executive recommended a second year of fee increases: 7.5% for Categories A and B (government, county residents, nonprofits) and 12.5% for Category C (out-of-county users). CUF’s expenditures are rising 2.3%, revenues up 9.6% due to fee increases. The fund balance is projected negative in FY26. The Interagency Coordinating Board (ICB) recommended a flat 7.5% increase. Council staff had offered a 5% alternative. After discussion, including concerns about solvency and rising costs, the committee voted to recommend a 7.5% fee increase to the full council. The committee also noted the need to improve the RESJ score (currently Level 4) and to explore subsidies for senior villages.
  • Public Libraries (MCPL): The county executive recommended a $2.06 million (3.65%) increase, including two reconciliation-list items. The committee discussed the recent reduction of Sunday hours from 10 branches to 9 (open 10 a.m.–6 p.m.) and the need for sustainable staffing. Director Darcel Graham noted that restoring full Sunday service would require 15 additional FTEs beyond the 5 FTEs proposed for abolition. The committee expressed support for a phased restoration of Sunday service and highlighted the importance of security. Two reconciliation-list items were approved: $275,000 one-time funding for the Noise Library for Young Children (collection refresh) and $207,000 for enhanced security guard services at five branches (McGee, Gaithersburg, Germantown, Quince Orchard, Rockville Memorial). The committee also noted the need for passport services and the library’s commitment to diversity despite challenges.
  • Takoma Park Library Non-Departmental Account: The committee approved the county executive’s recommended increase of $17,780 (8.04%), based on the county code formula. Director Amanda Jones reported strong usage since the new facility opened in September 2025: 47,000+ items checked out, 1,800 new cards, and 200+ programs.
  • Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) Operating Budget (First Session): Superintendent Dr. Taylor and CFO Ivon Alfonso Windsor presented an overview of the $3.8 billion request (5.2% increase over FY26). Key points: declining enrollment (5,000 fewer students) but increasing special education needs; federal funding dropping $8.6 million, including Title I and Title II cuts; the structural deficit in employee benefits ($40 million requested) and the high lapse/turnover assumption ($70 million); the new staffing standards aimed at reducing class sizes; and the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future mandates ($60 million in programs). The committee discussed the dangerously low fund balance (projected $5.97 million vs. a recommended $38 million). No votes were taken; discussion will continue on April 22, 27, and May 1.

Key Outcomes

  • CUF Fee Increase: The committee voted unanimously (3-0) to recommend a 7.5% fee increase for all categories (as recommended by the ICB) to the full council. A resolution will be introduced.
  • Library Reconciliation List Items: Both items (Noise Library $275,000 and Security $207,000) were approved for placement on the reconciliation list without objection.
  • Takoma Park Library: Approved without objection.
  • MCPS: No decisions made; the committee will continue budget worksessions in the coming weeks.

Meeting Transcript

Good morning, everyone. Welcome to the Education and Culture Committee. I'm the chair of Will Jawando. I'm joined by my colleagues, Councilmember Evans and Mink. And it is Monday, April 13th. And we are have we have a packed agenda today, but we're going to move efficiently and proactively through it. First, we're going to discuss community use of public facilities. This is our first session considering the operating budget for FY27. And the first item will be community use of public facilities. Then we'll talk about public libraries, the Tacoma Park Library non-departmental account. And then we'll have our first of four sessions for MCPS's operating budget. And we heard last week from over 200 residents about what they wanted to see come out of the operating budget. And all of these topics that we're talking about today were on the list. We heard a lot about libraries, we heard a lot about schools. We heard a lot about uh community use of public facilities. So uh we're gonna dive right in. Um I'm gonna turn it over to Ms. Rodriguez Hernandez to tee up CUF. And I know we maybe you'll introduce your team if you have any opening comments. I think you have a couple of slides as well, right? Slides are yours. Okay. So maybe we'll start. Do you want to introduce uh you yourself and your team? And if you have anything you want to say at the top, certainly. You have to press your mic to the right there. Yeah. There you go. Do I need to pull it towards you a little bit? There you go. There you go. And I can let go. You can let go. You can hear me fine. Yeah. Excellent. Go ahead. But you have to stand up, turn around. No, no, you don't need to. You're really about to put me on the spot. Good morning, everyone. Uh, and thank you so much uh for having us today. My name is Janelle Burwell. I'm the director of CUF, uh recent director of CUF. Uh, haven't even been with the county for six months yet. And I um am just excited to be here. I'm learning so much about uh this uh incredible department, and I certainly have um just uh an awesome team with me here today. Vanessa, who's been with the county, I think almost over 20 years, uh and she's our financial manager, so she is the numbers guru. Uh so I'm very, very grateful uh for her uh leadership on the team, and I'm grateful for uh her knowledge and subject matter expertise. And then, of course, we have Monora with uh Owen B, who is our OMB analyst.

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