Summer vacation is over. (Photo: Associated Press)

The new school year begins in just a few hours in Montgomery County. Parents, rejoice!

This will be Superintendent Jerry Weast’s last first day of school, as he’s set to retire when his contract expires June 30. The Board of Education can’t officially start the search for a new head administrator until after elections and the December swearing-in of new board members.

Also, county police will be assigning nine school resource officers to 24 high schools countywide to serve as liaisons between schools and the police department.

And then there’s the larger class sizes, fewer teachers, and not as many new textbooks, thanks to a $97 million cut in the total MCPS operating budget. If that doesn’t put a damper on your day and you can still send your kids off to school with a smile, you can submit first-day-of-school photos to be used in an online gallery on the Montgomery County Public Schools system's website.