The $2.15 billion budget the Montgomery County Board of Education approved last week includes pay raises for administrators, teachers and staff — the first in three years.

“MCPS has a national reputation for excellence and if we are going to sustain that excellence, we must reward and retain the employees who are doing such tremendous work," Superintendent Joshua P. Starr said in an emailed press release.

The Board of Education approved the budget during its meeting June 14.

The budget is an increase of about $73.2 million, or 3.5 percent, over last year’s, accounting for an estimated 2,400 additional students in the system. 

Roughly $27.2 million of the budget would be used to cover teacher pensions, which were previously billed to the state of Maryland, according to MCPS.