January 8, 2015
Dear Farmland Students and Families,
Happy New Year! It was so fantastic to see everyone’s happy and enthusiastic faces as students
returned to school yesterday. It is one of those experiences that reaffirm what is important and
why I am so grateful to have a job that I love.
Thank you to all of our PTA and families for their generosity towards the staff this holiday
season. Everyone felt incredibly valued and appreciated. What a joyous end to one calendar
year and the beginning of another. I was touched to be included in those that you
acknowledged. (If you did not receive a thank you note from me, it was due to a card or note
being misplaced and I was unaware of the giver.)
As we look ahead to this new year and the following school year, I hope you will take some time
to consider this appeal from MCPS. This year it will be more important than ever for
communities to help support schools in appealing to the County Council to fully fund
Montgomery County Public Schools request for a $2.3 billion operating budget for Fiscal year
2017 to fund the operations of 202 schools and provide for the educational needs of 156,447
students. MCPS has launched a new online resource to help the community better understand
how the district builds its operating budget and funds its schools. The new Budget 101 site was
created to answer many of the questions that parents, students, staff, and community members
have asked about the MCPS operating budget. The site will show you where the district’s
funding comes from, how it is spent, and how our schools are staffed to ensure we are meeting
the needs of every student. Visit www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/budget-101/index.html to
check out this new resource. Below are the names and email addresses of each of the county
council members. Please consider writing to them to stress the need to fully fund our school
system. To keep our education system as one of the greatest in the country, we require funding to
continue with programs, services, smaller class sizes, and highly qualified educators.
[email protected]<mailto:Councilmember.Berliner@montg
omerycountymd.gov>
[email protected]<mailto:Councilmember.Elrich@montgomer
ycountymd.gov>
[email protected]<mailto:Councilmember.Floreen@montgo
merycountymd.gov>
[email protected]<mailto:Councilmember.Hucker@montgo
merycountymd.gov>
[email protected]<mailto:Councilmember.Katz@montgomeryc
ountymd.gov>
[email protected]<mailto:Councilmember.Levanthal@mo
ntgomerycountymd.gov>
[email protected]<mailto:Councilmember.Navarro@montg
omerycountymd.gov>
[email protected]<mailto:Councilmember.Rice@montgomeryc
ountymd.gov>
[email protected]<mailto:Councilmember.Riemer@montgo
merycountymd.gov>
"To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children...to leave
the world a better place...to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to
have succeeded."
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
Warmest regards,
Mary Bliss
Principal
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