Montgomery County Public Schools

Dec 14, 2010

Montgomery County Public Schools

The council's public safety committee voted against Leggett's plan to hand pink slips to nine school resource officers and nearly two dozen fire officials, among other modifications to a $36 million savings plan proposed by the county executive for this fiscal year.

"I'm trying to avoid laying off police officers. Leggett also proposed eliminating 11 ambulances and laying off nearly two dozen administrative fire positions. "The drastic cuts to volunteer support funding are a blatant form of retaliation by the county executive in response to [the volunteer firefighters'] successful opposition to the executive's signature issue this fall," said Eric Bernard, executive director of the volunteer firefighters.

Members of the Montgomery County Council Monday will consider removing police officers from schools as lawmakers scramble to save money in the middle of the fiscal year.

Council members hope to cut as much as $36 million from the current year's budget, and a council committee will look at removing the school system's nine police officers assigned to monitor middle and high schools.

County Executive Isiah Leggett also proposed cutting nearly $2 million from the county's health and human services budget.

Source