New teachers hired anywhere in Montgomery County Public Schools will earn a starting salary of $64,591 when the 2026-27 school year begins. That's the highest entry-level pay among Maryland's 24 public school districts, and it includes Potomac schools like Winston Churchill High School, Thomas S. Wootton High School and Herbert Hoover Middle School.
MCPS already exceeded the state's new $60,000 minimum teacher salary by the time the mandate took effect July 1, according to a Maryland Matters report published Friday. The $60,000 floor is part of the Blueprint for Maryland's Future, the state's multibillion-dollar education reform law. No waivers were available.
MCPS's starting pay sits $4,591 above the minimum. By contrast, Allegany and Carroll counties landed at exactly $60,000.
What it cost other districts
Not every system absorbed the mandate as easily. Cecil County Public Schools cut 104 positions to balance its budget while meeting the salary floor, according to Chief Financial Officer Denise Sopa. Those cuts included 60 teachers, 30 support staff, and 14 administrators. Cecil's starting salary for a first-year, 10-month teacher: $60,086.
Dorchester County, which serves about 4,500 students, increased class sizes from roughly 18 to 22 students and conducted a reduction in force. "It was difficult. We don't have a lot of extras around here," Jodi Colman, assistant superintendent for academics and student services, told Maryland Matters.
Somerset County, where 20.3% of residents live in poverty according to the U.S. Census, remained in negotiations with its bargaining units as of July 25 and had not confirmed compliance. Superintendent W. David Bromwell said the mandate is especially difficult for smaller districts.
No waivers, real consequences
The Accountability and Implementation Board, which oversees the Blueprint, made clear there would be no exceptions. Executive Director Rachel Hise told a House subcommittee in March that the deadline was firm and that no waiver process existed.
Districts that fail to comply risk having state funding withheld until the $60,000 salary is approved. All 24 systems must submit a formal attestation to the AIB by Sept. 1 confirming they meet the minimum.
MCPS budget context
The salary floor is funded within the district's $3.79 billion FY27 operating budget, a 5.3% increase over the prior year, according to county budget records. Estimated enrollment for 2026-27 is 154,891 students across 211 schools.
MSEA President Paul Lemle said in March that the state's teacher vacancy rate had fallen by more than half, crediting Blueprint salary increases.
A nonpartisan evaluation of the Blueprint by NORC at the University of Chicago is due to the AIB by Dec. 1, 2026, with a report to the governor and General Assembly expected by Jan. 15, 2027.
