As the Montgomery County school board embarks upon determining a spending plan for local public schools for the next fiscal year, a countywide association representing parents, teachers and students is preparing to advocate for its priorities.
This week, the Montgomery County Council of Parent-Teacher Associations (MCCPTA), released its list of 11 priorities for this school year.
The list includes urging local and state officials to update student codes of conduct to include parents’ legal obligations concerning the secure storage of firearms, publicizing evaluations of new and existing academic programs and revising class-size guidelines for elementary schools, according to an MCCPTA statement.
The priorities are based on concerns expressed by members of associations representing parents, teachers and students across the county, according to the statement. The MCCPTA represents 194 such associations and each year its members vote on a list of priorities, according to the statement.
In the statement, MCCPTA Vice President for Advocacy Rodney Peele said the group looks “forward to prioritizing these objectives” during school board discussions of an operating budget for Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) for fiscal year 2026, which begins July 1. “We know how important these issues are to our members and we will fight for them,” he said.
On Thursday, the school board is set to hear its first overview of Superintendent Thomas Taylor’s recommended fiscal year 2026 operating budget, which focuses on campus safety, improving students’ math and literacy skills, and reducing the district’s bureaucratic layers, among other priorities, according to a copy of the presentation.
MCCPTA’s 11 priorities fall under four categories that address learning safely, cohesively, inclusively and responsibly, according to the group’s statement.
The learning safely category touches upon campus security, including advocating for schools to notify parents and students about the importance of proper gun storage and legal obligations to protect minors from accessing irresponsibly stored guns. MCCPTA is also calling for better enforcement of cell phone usage policies, publication of safety audits, strengthening policies around drug use and to distribute resources for schools to respond to bullying and discrimination.
MCPS is addressing cell phone usage in schools. At the Aug. 20 school board meeting, Stephanie Sheron, MCPS chief of strategic initiatives, said the district was evaluating implementation of its existing cell phone policy.
This school year, eight middle schools and Rockville High School are participating in a program that is piloting a more restrictive cell phone environment. For those participating in the “Away All Day” pilot program, the use of cell phones is prohibited during instructional time.
The learning cohesively category advocates for MCPS to develop and publish a multiyear budget plan to adopt high-quality instructional materials and to complete and publish evaluations of new and existing academic programs and pilots.
Learning inclusively focuses on advocating for the district to provide equitable access to academic programming and extracurricular activities. Other objectives call for reducing class-size guidelines for elementary schools to 2023-2024 school year levels and increasing classroom staffing.
Earlier this year, the district increased class sizes by one student after the County Council approved a $3.32 billion MCPS operating budget for fiscal year 2025 that was $30.5 million less than what the school board requested. The school board made significant cuts to close the spending gap, including increasing classroom sizes.
During the 2023-2024 school year, elementary school class size guidelines called for no more than 24 students in kindergarten classes, 25 for first- and second grades, 26 for third grade and 28 for fourth- and fifth grades. This school year’s guidelines are a maximum of 25 students for kindergarten classes, 26 for first- and second grades, 27 for third grade and 29 for fourth- and fifth grades.
The MCCPTA learning responsibly category includes advocating for publishing timelines and methods of gathering community stakeholder input for determining school boundaries and educating families about how to register complaints about the process without fear of retaliation. It also calls for using personnel data to explore administrative turnover in schools to identify those schools that need support and stability.
On Thursday, the school board is scheduled to approve a contract for a consultant to conduct a boundary review that will impact 19 of the 25 MCPS high schools as part of plans to open high schools in Rockville and Gaithersburg in 2027.
