After President Donald Trump signed an executive order Wednesday night threatening to withhold federal funding from schools that teach about concepts such as structural racism, Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) announced it will “use all legal means necessary” to uphold its values, according to messages sent Thursday to the district’s staff and community.
“We are committed to maintaining local authority over curriculum, teaching and learning,” said a message sent to staff from MCPS Superintendent Thomas Taylor and county school board President Julie Yang.
The message noted the 10th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution grants state and local governments authority over local education. “When our employees are carrying out their duties in alignment with the values, policies and regulations of our school system, we will stand steadfast at their side,” the message said.
A similar message signed by Taylor and Yang was sent to the MCPS community Thursday night. The statements didn’t directly reference Trump’s Wednesday executive order but said that news about recent executive orders raised concerns about public education in the county.
Trump’s Wednesday night executive order says that within 90 days, the U.S. secretary of education and others in his cabinet will provide recommendations to eliminate federal funding for “discriminatory treatment and indoctrination in K-12 schools, including based on gender ideology and discriminatory equity ideology,” according to the executive order.
Trump has signed several executive orders that will impact schools, including a Jan. 21 directive that allows ICE to enter schools and churches and another on Wednesday that directs federal agencies to explore expanding access to private school vouchers, according to The New York Times.
After Trump’s election in November, local education leaders expressed fear about the potential loss of the U.S. Department of Education and federal funding for schools.
Losing that funding “would be significant and catastrophic in terms of how we support our schools and how we differentiate support for some of our highest-need communities,” Taylor told Bethesda Today in November.
According to an MCPS report presented Nov. 12 to the County Council, the district has received about 3% of its annual operating budget from the federal government since 2015. In fiscal year 2025, which began July 1 and ends June 30, the district is expected to receive 3.4% of its revenue from the federal government. With a fiscal year 2025 budget of $3.3 billion, roughly $112 million is expected to come in the form of federal funding.
In the messages both to staff and the MCPS community, Taylor and Yang said they will support teachers and staff as they implement the district’s curriculum.
“Education is a fundamental right guaranteed to all children and foundational to our society,” the community message said. “A strong and thriving public school system is essential to the success, prosperity, and future of our communities, states, and nation.”