The Montgomery County school board is expected to receive more public input with the creation of a community advisory committee made up of county residents.
Board President Julie Yang (Dist. 3) announced the advisory committee, which will replace the board’s Communications and Stakeholder Engagement Committee, at the board’s Dec. 5 meeting during which she also was elected to her leadership role.
“We believe inviting the community to sit at a table with us and co-create how we structure communication, engagement around issues will enhance the process,” Yang said.
The previous Communications and Stakeholder Engagement Committee had three members, Yang, Brenda Wolff (Dist. 5) and former District 4 board member Shebra Evans.
According to board communication coordinator Christie Scott, the new committee will include county residents and address one key topic annually that’s aimed at improving communication and engagement. The first will be focused on an upcoming school boundary study that’s required due to the construction of Crown High School in Gaithersburg and Charles W. Woodward High School in Rockville as well as the expansion of Damascus High School.
The board approved a $1.3 million contract for the boundary study Dec. 5, greenlighting a process that will analyze the boundaries of 19 of the 25 Montgomery County public high schools.
“We are not looking to just approve an engagement plan, but rather to work in partnership with our community together to design and implement engagement strategies and opportunity that build trust in the process,” Yang said at the meeting.
Vice President Grace Rivera-Oven (Dist. 1), who also was elected to her leadership role Dec. 5, will serve as the board’s committee representative, according to Scott.
Scott did not provide more information on how community members would be picked, who could join the committee or how many members there will be.
During the Dec. 5 meeting, members also were appointed to other board committees.
Former board president Karla Silvestre (At-large) will chair the Fiscal Management Committee. Its members will include newly elected board members Natalie Zimmerman (Dist. 2) and Laura Stewart (Dist. 4), plus student board member Praneel Suvarna.
Yang will chair the Policy Management Committee, which includes Silvestre, Wolff and Suvarna. Rivera-Oven will chair the Special Populations Committee and serve alongside committee members Rita Montoya (At-large), who is also newly elected, and Stewart. The Strategic Planning Committee includes Zimmerman and Montoya and will be chaired by Wolff.
