Two Walt Whitman High School staff members are back on campus in new roles after Montgomery County Public Schools eliminated their positions as part of 415 job cuts in June.

Lauren Quinn and Jason Byrd both worked as English composition assistants at Whitman, staffing the school's Writing Center and helping students with essays, language skills and college applications. MCPS eliminated those roles as part of district-wide cuts, The Black and White, Whitman's student newspaper, reported.

Quinn said weeks passed where she did not know whether she still had a job. She received an email on the last day of school notifying her of an involuntary transfer to a different department within Whitman.

"I am still really disappointed that the kids don't have the same amount of resources that they had," Quinn said.

Byrd initially faced a transfer to a different school entirely. At the end of summer, MCPS offered him an alternative position at Whitman as a paraeducator in the special education department, Byrd said. He told The Black and White that the cuts were unfortunate, particularly the loss of social workers, but he hoped the district could find a better way to balance its budget and fund educators.

Writing Center hours shrink

The changes hit students directly. The Writing Center, where Quinn and Byrd helped with English assignments and college application essays, was previously available all day. It is now open only during lunch and after school, since neither staffer can work there full-time.

Senior Layla Shraim said she does not have a college counselor to provide college essay feedback, so the Writing Center was a key resource. She praised Quinn's detailed help with diction and grammar. "It never hurts to have another person's input on an essay for college," Shraim said.

Why the cuts happened

MCPS requested $3.7 billion for fiscal year 2027 in December 2025 but received $36 million less when Montgomery County finalized its budget in May, according to The Black and White. District officials chose to reduce staffing, ultimately cutting 415 jobs in June. MCPS later reinstated 59 positions, including staff development teachers, school psychologists and college and career navigators.

The budget pressure built over several years. During the COVID-19 pandemic, MCPS used temporary federal emergency funds to hire extra support staff, including counselors and social workers. When those relief dollars ran out, local tax revenues could not cover the added positions. Over seven years, MCPS student enrollment dropped 6% while overall staffing grew 10%, according to The Black and White.

The Board of Education eliminated 43 school social worker positions, cutting the district's social work staff by nearly half. School psychologists and Whitman's college and career navigator were spared after public pressure, The Black and White reported.

In comments reported by MyMCMedia in August, Superintendent Thomas Taylor said the district would reduce staff proportionally to match declining enrollment. Taylor said the district worked over the summer to prevent service gaps and ensure all students retain access to mental health supports.

Taylor attributed declining enrollment in part to falling birth rates and federal immigration enforcement policies, according to MyMCMedia.