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Tag: montgomery county schools

  • ‘No bells and whistles’: Montgomery Co. Council education chair on school spending plan – WTOP News

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    Montgomery County Council member Will Jawando echoed previous comments by the county’s school superintendent Thomas Taylor, that the district’s FY 2027 operating budget is not loaded down with extras but is geared to keep the school system running.

    Montgomery County Council member Will Jawando echoed previous comments by the county’s school superintendent Thomas Taylor that the district’s fiscal 2027 operating budget is not loaded down with extras, but is geared toward keeping the school system running.

    “There’s no bells and whistles here, this is educator funding, it’s to help reduce class size a little bit,” Jawando, who chairs the county’s Education and Culture Committee, said of the nearly $3.8 billion spending plan.

    At the same time, Jawando said in an interview with WTOP, the budget plan continues funding “things like counselors, school psychologists, some of the mental health service supports that our students need.”

    Noting that the budget proposed by Taylor cuts staff at the school system’s central office, saving a potential $11.5 million, Jawando said, “It shows a continued commitment to shifting resources back into the classroom.”

    Jawando, who is running for county executive, also said student test scores are up slightly, “not where we want them to be, but you don’t get more with less, and our educators are working really hard.”

    The council has the authority to approve the school budget when it votes on the spending plan in May.

    The almost $4 billion budget plan comes in a year when county and state budgets are tight, but Jawando said, “I don’t think there’s an option for us not to fund the school budget” at the requested level.

    At his recent weekly briefing with reporters, Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich said, “I’m optimistic that we’re going to be able to fully fund the budget.”

    Jawando, who pointed out he’s a father of four, said the school system plays a critical role in the county’s ability to attract residents.

    “As a former MCPS student myself, it is the reason people move here. We have to keep moving in the right direction.”

    Parent groups and students themselves have focused on proposed changes to school boundaries and the state of school facilities in recent public comment portions of school board meetings.

    “The school system also has been addressing legacy issues, such as the maintenance of our buildings,” Jawando said.

    There have been complaints of mold, failing fire alarms and spotty heat and air quality functions at a number of schools. Sherwood High School recently canceled classes after broken sprinklers caused flooding in the school, damaging at least 12 classrooms.

    Regarding the backlog of work needed at schools across the county, Jawando noted there are 211 schools, and according to data from MCPS, more than half those are 25 years old.

    “We’re in a really unique and difficult situation,” Jawando said, regarding the work needed on aging school facilities, “but that’s when I think we can be most innovative and figure out ways to handle this multiyear problem. It’s not going to happen overnight.”

    Superintendent Taylor’s proposed fiscal 2027 budget will be the subject of a work session at the Board of Education on Jan. 6.

    A series of budget hearings will follow before the county executive releases his proposed budget recommendations in March and the county council begins its work on the spending plans with a final vote in May.

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    © 2025 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

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    Kate Ryan

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  • New year, new policies on grades, student conduct and phones in Montgomery Co. schools – WTOP News

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    The more than 160,000 students returning to Montgomery County Public Schools are free to use their phones on the way to and from school, but during this new school year, they’ll find new rules in place.

    From saving on school supplies to the impact of federal cuts, the WTOP team is studying up on hot-button topics in education across the D.C. region. Follow on air and online in our series, “WTOP Goes Back to School” this August and September.

    The more than 160,000 students returning to Montgomery County Public Schools are free to use their phones on the way to and from school, but during this new school year, they’ll find new rules in place.

    For elementary and middle school students, phones must be put away during class, when changing classes and at lunch.

    High school students will be able to fire up their phones during lunch and between classes, but when classes get underway, they have to switch them off.

    Once on the bus at the end of the school day, students in all grades will be able to use their phones.

    New grading guidelines

    When teachers start grading assignments, students will also encounter new rules. To get a 50% mark on their work, students will have to go beyond making an effort — teachers will have to see progress on the assignment for a student to earn a 50% grade.

    The final grade for a class will be calculated with the averages of numeric grades the student earned in each marking period. For classes that last one semester, the same metric will be used for the two marking periods in the semester.

    There will also be — in some, not all classes — “summative assessments,” tests or projects that can make up 10% of a student’s grade for the second and fourth marking period.

    Teachers will also be required to provide chances for a minimum of two reassessments. The county is also introducing deadlines for late work and for grading. Late work by students has to be submitted 10 school days after the original due date.

    Teachers will also have to make sure their grades are submitted in a timely fashion. They’ll have 10 days from the due date to return graded work to students.

    An updated student code of conduct is emphasizing student accountability. Among the notable changes: The county has escalated the severity of penalties for particular violations for the most serious infractions, including drug possession, bomb threats and attacks on students and staff.

    New ‘refrigerator curriculum’

    In the weekly briefing held by Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich, Superintendent Thomas Taylor fielded questions and was asked about some of the infrastructure issues in the school system.

    With more than 200 buildings to manage in the district, Taylor said, “Our HVAC situation is not great in Montgomery County Public Schools. We have about 40 of our 230 campuses that we manage, and about 40 of them are really on chewing gum and duct tape.”

    But he said the issues in those schools are “fixable” and are being remediated.

    Taylor also talked about the new “refrigerator curriculum” that the school system will make available to parents. At the start of each marking period, parents will be able to download a one-page summary of the nine-week education plans. If they object to content based on religious grounds, they can have their child opt out and get an alternate assignment.

    The move follows a Supreme Court ruling ordering that schools provide alternative lesson plans when parents object on religious grounds.

    Taylor said the lead time gives “time to digest what their children would be reading and what their children will be talking about in class.”

    There are subjects that are not in place in classrooms yet, but are being explored, Taylor said. One has to do with AI.

    “We introduced a couple of things to our principals about a week ago — some different ways to think about mathematics instruction as well as creative writing instruction, and classroom lesson planning that I hope will really catch fire and inspire our educators to lead with this passion,” he said.

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    © 2025 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

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    Kate Ryan

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