First Day Of School In Montgomery County

VIA WJLA:

Montgomery County, Md. – Thousands of Montgomery County students are set to begin their first day of classes on Monday.

With big budget cuts looming, the school system will have to follow much stricter fiscal guidelines this year.

“That’s got to sustain itself so as a parent you have to be cautiously optimistic,” said Kay Romero, parent.

Although Montgomery County’s school system promised not to increase class sizes, earlier this year they cut about 250 employees.

Any open positions will have to stay vacant, except for principals and teachers whose pay is supplemented by federal dollars.

There’s also a spending freeze in effect because of budget issues.

The superintendent says it’s all to shore a projected $353 million gap for the fiscal year of 2011. The huge deficit is a nationwide problem for school systems.

Despite all the cuts, Montgomery County is telling parents their children won’t feel the budget crunch in the classroom.

Read more here.