The Politics Hour: D.C. budget crunch and Montgomery County schools job cuts

Montgomery County Public Schools are looking to cut hundreds of positions to close a nearly $40 million budget gap. The cuts follow the Montgomery County Council's failure to fully fund MCPS's budget request. Throughout the budget process, District 5 Councilmember Kristin Mink looked for ways to fully fund the school district. She joins the show to explain what the council can do now to support schools. Plus, she discusses her support for bills signed by the County Executive this week limiting federal immigration enforcement in the county, and we ask her to weigh in on the County Executive race.The D.C. Council is set for its first budget vote next week. It's been a challenging year as federal cuts and a decline in tax revenue have forced city leaders to weigh big cuts. Councilmember Christina Henderson takes us behind the scenes of negotiations and explains why she thinks slashing a fund that pays early childhood educators is the wrong move. Henderson also weighs in on the fight over a youth curfew, and we ask whether she's ready to endorse a candidate in the city's mayoral race.Send us questions and comments for guests: kojo@wamu.orgFollow us on Instagram: instagram.com/wamu885Follow us on Bluesky: bsky.app/wamu.org