WASHINGTON — A group of Montgomery County leaders marked the first day of the new school year Monday by highlighting record-high enrollment and calling for more funding for Maryland’s largest school system.

“No system can continue to operate effectively with the kinds of numbers that we see and the restraints on resources that we’ve had over the last few years,” says Montgomery County Executive Isiah “Ike” Leggett.

Leggett spoke at Wheaton Woods Elementary School, a facility that uses several portable classrooms to ease crowding in the building.

The county’s public school system has an estimated 156,514 students currently enrolled, the largest student population ever.

Since 2007, enrollment has increased by nearly 19,000 and is projected to reach more than 165,000 by 2020.

“That’s a big challenge. We’ve got to be upfront with our public about how we’re going to deal with that,” says Montgomery County Council President George Leventhal.

County officials want to add space for education through new construction projects.

“We’re really not going to get this accomplished unless we get the resources we need,” says Larry Bowers, interim superintendent of Montgomery County Public Schools.

Leggett says the school system needs additional funding to accommodate enrollment which is growing by more than 2,000 students every year.

“I’m talking about additional taxes. I want to make sure that the state is providing its portion of what we need and that we are doing it here locally,” Leggett says.

He also took out his phone and showed a photo of his granddaughter who just started first grade, saying that it’s important to remember that behind enrollment numbers is the education of the county’s children.