Good evening everyone. Wow. Full house. This is what I love to see. That means so many of you care about our communities. Care about students, care about our schools. So thank you for being here today. So before I start, I
would like to have board members introduce themselves before we get into the hearing tonight, I'm going to start from my right hand side, Miss Stewart. Laura Stewart. So happy to see a full
house here today. I'm district four board member. Thank you. Good evening. Rita montoya, board member at large. Good evening. Glad to see everyone. Brenda Wolff, district five. Good evening. Buenas noches. Grace Rivera, oven representing
district one. Good evening. Buenas noches. Carla Silvestre. School board member at large. Good evening. Welcome. It's so nice to see you all. Natalie Zimmerman, representing district two. Good evening. O'Neill Suvarna student, member of the
board. Ready for this? For our ride. And good evening. I'm Julie Yang, district three, president of the board. May I have a motion to approve tonight's agenda? Move. Approval second. All in favor? Raise your
hand. That was unanimous. Thank you everyone. Now, tonight is the second night of our FY 26 budget hearing. I want to also let everyone know. And the audience online know that we have two additional community
information sessions this week. One will be at Paint Branch High School and the other one will be virtual. And RSVP is encouraged, but not mandatory. Right. And before we start this evening, Mr. Silvestre, can you give an announcement, please? Yes. We
are delighted to have interpretation here tonight. Tenemos interpreters. Aqui esta noche ASI si usted quiera escuchar la reunion en espanol. Por favor. Visite a la senora esta. Atras con camisa verde Isla de un. So anyone that wants
to hear the meeting in Spanish, please see the lady in green in the back so she can give you a headset. Thank you. We look forward to hearing from all of you tonight. And there are sections that our board member can ask questions and give
comments. I ask board members to focus on questions that will really help drive your decision for this budget season. And we also have another work session coming up this week, Thursday. So I encourage everyone to tune
in. And the board is scheduled to take tentative action on February 4th. All right, so without further ado, I'm going to go to our first speaker, which is Monique Ashton. Ashton,
please come to the front and then I'm going to invite our student. Peter. Peter. Peter. Boyko and Amelia. Evans and Ethan. Ethan. Evans. Vivian.
Urbina. Tracy. Espinosa. Daniel. Cote. Carmen. Sesena and commands is on video. All right. These are our elected officials
and students. Mayor, you may begin. Good evening, president Yang, vice president Grace Rivera oven and members of the board. My name is Monique Ashton, mayor of the city of Rockville. Thank you so much for the opportunity to share Rockville's testimony on the superintendent's recommended FY
26 operating budget. We appreciate the work that M.C.P.S. And the board are doing to provide high quality educational programs that support learning and personal growth, as well as equity in our community. The city supports the superintendent's focus on improving academic achievement, stabilizing the school system
and its financial position, and prioritizing resources for student learning and support. We care deeply about all of our schools and play an active role in learning more about the needs and schools in Rockville, Richard Montgomery, Rockville and Wootton. Horizon clusters
have a couple of issues that we wanted to share with you. We recommend returning class sizes to 2023 2024 levels. The decision to increase the class size by one student last June has negatively impacted schools that had to reduce the number of
classes and agreed to meet the new class requirements, or had to release teachers reassigned to other M.c.p.s. Schools. We encourage M.c.p.s. To adhere to the stated maximum class size figures. Support individualized attention to students, which is critically needed for equity, as well as addressing learning loss
caused by the pandemic. Pause reductions in a school staffing allocation until the mid-summer. We hear from a lot of our schools that they get surges, and if you can change when you look at that allocation to closer to the beginning of the school year, implement updated staffing formulas that
accurately allocate staffing according to actual needs. For example, Bayard Rustin School had their enrollment skyrocket to 800 students in recent years. We support Paraeducators. Please fund the 500 Paraeducator positions and superintendents
recommendation and provide them with quality professional development opportunities. We support. We support social support services and training, increased support for counselors, social workers and wellness so important during this time, we are seeing that
our schools and our students are needing help at higher levels. For example, Maryvale only has 1.5 counselors for 625 students. We're seeing students with higher needs and needs for social service. Please improve the rigor of the middle school English language arts
curriculum, and place a greater emphasis on science and social studies at the elementary school curriculum. Allocate funding for anti-bias training for staff, student educational programs and initiatives that celebrate equity and inclusion, and continue to show the world that we will lead on Dei support
maintenance teams and increase funding for facilities for staff. We have several schools that are way beyond and overdue for renovation, such as Wooton High School. Our maintenance staff are working hard to maintain those dilapidated buildings. We also want to ask for some special support for
Twinbrook Elementary. It's a title one school with 88% farms rate. There are significant needs for educational, social and family services. In the past year alone, there have been 1000 visits to the schools counselor and the higher needs. Higher
needs for wraparound services. Please note that 1000 people are also served by volunteer supported food programs that help address food insecurity. Rockville is stepping up to help provide a part time social worker to collaborate with the school counselor and the community school liaison, and the city is thankful to M.c.p.s.
For facilitating the sharing of the Maryville linkages to Learning Program Manager at the school, we request that the County and M.c.p.s. Collaborate to shift part time staff to full time status to better meet the needs of the school community. And also, please consider adding a Linkages to Learning program
at Twinbrook Elementary while maintaining it at Maryville. There are significant needs to be addressed. We are so thankful to the Board and Superintendent for your commitment to providing high quality education that will set up for students for success. As a student myself, when I was
growing up, I did not have a situation where everyone graduated high school. Education is the great equalizer and our teachers are at the very, very heart of it. We ask you to come together to help support our students. And I also will just note, I want to thank you. When I came to testify on the
facilities issues, you guys responded. There was a school that had no working water fountains. So I want everyone to know that when we speak, you listen and we appreciate your collaboration. Take care. Thank you. Thank you. Mayor. Now I'm
going to go to our students. Students, you each have three minutes for your testimony. I want to acknowledge that Amelia Evans and Ethan Evans will not be here in person. But we have received your written testimony,
so I'm going to go to first Peter Boyko. Go ahead. Good evening, Doctor Taylor and members of the M.C.P.S. Board of Education. My name is Peter Boyko. I'm a junior at Northwest High School and a candidate for the next student member of the board. While the operating
budget is focused on funding a lot of things inside the classroom, we must recognize that there are other issues impacting students that stretch far beyond the classroom and one of the most serious and demanding issues for students, especially in today's world, is safety and security. When a
student was found carrying a loaded handgun throughout the entire day at my school back in September, I was both frustrated and confused. This is a student I could have walked by in the hallway. How can it be so easy for someone to not only enter a school with a loaded weapon, but
carry it around for the entire day? It's cases like these where we must be proactive instead of reactive. We can't wait until something devastating happens. We must work on the front line to keep our schools out of the headlines. But the reality is
our schools right now are extremely vulnerable, with students walking in and out of the building every 45 minutes to catch a class in the portables or going out for lunch. Any stranger wearing a backpack can easily fit in. That's why we need to prioritize security
teams, especially when we talk about ineffective ID policies at schools. ID policies have the potential to work and keep strangers out of our buildings, but they're just not being implemented properly at most schools. Furthermore, we see some schools with lots and lots
of students, but not enough security guards with increased funding for additional school security assistance, something the budget includes, we can improve the implementation of IDs and safety overall. So I'm testifying today in support of the additional funding for school based safety and to
encourage the board to always prioritize safety and well-being. So it's not first on the chopping block. If we want our schools to be and feel safe, if we want better enforcement of the ID policy and additional safety measures, it must start with the budget. And we have
over 160,000 reasons to do so. Thank you. Thank you. Vivian. You may proceed. Hello and good afternoon. My name is Vivian
Urbina, a junior at Watkins Mill High School. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak here today. I'm here to ask you the Board of Education to fund full time restorative justice coaches throughout M.C.P.S. Middle and high school, as well as giving more funds to the program. Last year, I learned about restorative
justice and the countless ways it could prevent conflicts and help navigate better communication for students in educational environments. RJ is a culture shifting practice which results in less harm and more understanding. It's even evident that it decreases the school to prison pipeline. RJ goes to the core of the problem
and helps create strong solutions. At last, I realized how important restorative justice was for our school system, how staff and students would better manage and understand situations here at M.C.P.S. By having restorative justice coaches, they can conduct RJ circles and create safe spaces for students and
limit detention and suspensions by not implementing. RJ coaches students are more prone to get involved in serious problems with staff. This could lead to students education being messed with during depending on the punishment and not clearing and clear understanding, which is
why RJ coaches should be fully funded in all M.C.P.S. But I would also like to dedicate a portion of my time in talking about the underfunding of the program as an academic and career readiness program for English learners here, between the ages of 18 and 21, there are around 133 students within the
program right now and more pending. However, they aren't able to accept more students due to the severe underfunding of the program. For night program, students didn't receive lunches in the beginning of the school year. They've gone from eight full time teachers to one in the span of five years. No administration, no nurse or
social workers. This past year, there was the removal of the English teacher position, which is a crucial position for the program because one of the four exams that are that are given for their GED is an English exam. When asked a student in Korea named Fatima montejo said this program for many students
is an opportunity to work during the day and study at night. Without the program or the proper funding, most of these students may not be able to achieve their GED due to the lack of resources. M.c.p.s. Is providing they are considered M.C.P.S. Students, however, are treated nothing like them shifting back by having full time restorative justice coaches
throughout M.c.p.s. Would be able to improve students environment for education. It not only creates a safe space for students, but also provides understanding of the situation at hand, as well as funding for each and every student deserves an equal opportunity to learn, especially here at M.c.p.s. This is why I ask you, the Board of
Education, to consider fully funding restorative restorative justice coaches in the middle, in middle and high schools, as well as consider giving more funds to. Thank you and have a good evening. Thank you. Vivian.
Tracy, it's your turn. Good evening. Members of the board and superintendent. Doctor Taylor, my name is Tracy Espinosa. I'm a junior at Watkins Mill High School, and I am the vice president of a student led immigrants rights group in Montgomery County called Students Fear. Tonight as
we hear countless of voices of student voices advocating for change, a large voice has been dismissed and silenced. For years, the Career Readiness Education Academy, year after year budget has been slashed, leaving its students vulnerable and education at risk. Tonight,
I ask for your support in increasing budget. Courageous Student Leadership Council is here in the audience today, though they have been placed on the testimony wait list. Tonight I will deliver their sentiments and experience with to you.
Currently only has one full time staff and the rest of the staff are made up of made up of paraeducators and community coordinators who take on more than their titles. The night program lacks a registrar and has had enrollment pause not even a month into the start of
the school year, as there is no one to take on the paperwork and not enough educators. Fatima montejo is a student leader at Aria, expresses her desire for more for more staff funding to allow more students to enroll, stating no se puede llegar el estudio a una persona mas y
tiene esa ganas a seguir adelante. You cannot deprive someone of education, especially if they have the will to push forward. Often, M.C.P.S. Praises itself for working towards addressing the opportunity gap and disparities between schools, but that discussion never
included or considered. Cryo. Cryo doesn't have access to hot meals. They don't have access to a school psychologist, social worker, or a counselor. They don't have access to the basic necessities. All M.c.p.s. High schools, middle schools, and elementary schools have last
year didn't have meals from its provider, Wheaton High School, for three weeks straight because they forgot to put them on their roster. Luckily, restaurants donated food for the students. As for some, this might be their only meal of the day. Yet to Wheaton High School, these students were a past thought,
comparing and M.C.P.S. Schools. A large gap between treatment remains unaddressed. As Fatima said, is discrimination is discrimination. Why does a program specifically designed for students who come from all over the world facing adversity, have the least resources regarding well-being and
education? To them, the program isn't just an educational opportunity, it's family. Students come in ready to learn even when times are rough, because they know there's someone out there that believes in them, Wellington Harmon said. Si esta programa de Los suenos de ellos también se van a
perder. If we lose this program, the student's dream will be gone with it. Over the past week, we have compiled hundreds of postcards from students, from students directly and allies in support of the. How can you stand for all students if you're cutting funding for GRE and
other services for Emls? Now more than ever, we need your support. And with this I ask that you increase GRE as funding. Thank you, thank you.
Danielle, turn on the light. It's your turn. Good evening, members of the board. My name is Danielle Conti. I am an 11th grade student from Seneca Valley High School. I'm here today to address the school to prison pipeline and restorative justice. The school to prison pipeline refers to the process
of disciplinary action, such as suspensions and arrests, pushing students into the justice system. In M.C.P.S, students are twice as likely to face disciplinary actions, making them more vulnerable to this pipeline. Students with disabilities are also disproportionately affected. Students are being punished
unfairly and aren't allowed to reflect on what they've done and learn from their mistakes. For example, a classmate of mine was outright suspended without being questioned due to a group of other students who attacked her, all stating she was provoking them and asking for it. Without this short and brief reflection
period, the students who harmed her will likely repeat said actions because they never understood why they were harmful. Research shows that removing students from schools harm sorry, removing students from schools harms and their long term outcomes. Sorry, I'm
stuttering. Even a short term solution. Restorative justice offers an alternative, traditional, alternative approach to traditional discipline. RJ fosters a positive school culture through an open communication and accountability system, addressing conflicts before they escalate. It also provides a
constructive way to repair harm while holding students accountable. RJ is working in M.C.P.S. And RJ focused, focused schools. Black students suspension of black student suspension has already decreased by 41%, and 81% of students who went through RJ in the 2022 2023
school year did not repeat their violations. However, only 3% of M.c.p.s. Schools have achieved the highest level of RJ implementation, and there aren't enough RJ specialists to meet that demand. Recommendations to strengthen restorative justice and reduce the school to prison pipeline, M.c.p.s must increase
funding to hire more RJ specialists and expand training. More apparent RJ protocol protocols that prioritize racial equity must be created to reduce disparities. Outcomes must be monitored with data to ensure equitable support for all students. Restorative Justice
help builds anti-racist and inclusive school environments and disrupts the harmful cycle of the school to prison pipeline, with more significant investment and intentional implementation, M.C.P.S. Can create a healthier environment where all students can thrive. Thank you. Thank you so much.
I'm going to call the next set of oh, we have one more video. That's right. Can TV please play Coleman's video? Hello, members of the Board of Education. My name is Carmen Saxena, and I'm a freshman at Richard Montgomery. And I'm here today to talk about
MCs, busses and the bus tracking app. Before I begin, I'd like to thank the board for its commitment to competitive salaries, supplies, infrastructure, and so much more. However, none of this effort matters if students can't get to school with M.c.p.s. Being the leading county for
electric busses, it is shocking to see the numerous issues. Busses are constantly overcrowded, with many of my peers reporting that they need to sit on each other to fit on the bus or a bus with all of its right side seats removed. I understand M.C.P.S. Is working
to get all busses from its deal with Highland Electric Transportation, but students having to be in bus aisles is unacceptable. Bus routes are a whole other issue, M.c.p.s has said is committed to equal opportunity. However, with
magnet programs, that's clearly not the case. Schools like Richard Montgomery and Blair have over 15 magnet routes for their programs, while John F Kennedy has only one for its IB program. While both schools are countywide programs, this is still not balanced. Previously,
Kennedy had two busses, but that was taken away this year down to one. Consolidating resources. At a developing magnet school that serves eight high schools for its program is completely illogical. Currently, this singular bus takes over 90 minutes to arrive, with students
expected to be at a stop by 6:13 a.m. This example may be an extreme, but change is needed with other schools have similar issues. Lastly, the safety or reliability of busses must be addressed, but knowing what is happening if an emergency may
occur is a priority. Delays are to be expected, so having students know ahead of time is critical. That is why when M.c.p.s. Introduced the bus tracking app, it would have solved the lack of transparency for families. Simply calling a
depot is inefficient compared to the low cost and high reward from the app. I understand that the old contract was nullified after the possibility of a data breach, but other avenues are available. Here Comes the Bus is a prime example of an app used
in 36 states. In school districts such as Wayne, Westland, Cumberland and Oklahoma City. The fact that so many were excited for this project is a testament to the value placed on it. All of this goes to show M.C.P.S. Must look into the transportation system
and follow through with the bus tracking app, which costs can be covered by combining state funding for electric busses with the GPS and other supplies needed for this app. In order for a $3.6 billion budget to be worth it, students need investment of a million. Thank
you. Thank you to all our students who came to testify tonight. I'm going to go to organizations tonight. We got a full slate of organization, 20 of them in total, to come to testify. So welcome, everyone.
I'm going to call the first six, that is OCA, DC, Ashburton School PTA, the Black Coalition for Excellence in Education, Montgomery County School Psychologist Association, Silver Spring Justice Coalition, and
Montgomery County chapter of Start School, later, the representative. Please proceed. Thank you. Absolutely. Let's
find more chairs in the front. Each organizations have five minutes to testify. If you have multiple people, sign up for one organization slot, please coordinate your time so you will
stay within the time frame. Okay. We might have to take turns because of the multiple people. Yeah. Very good.
Wonderful. Okay, Ocdc, you may proceed. Hi, doctor Taylor, members of the board. My name is Yvonne Sue, and I'm the mom of three boys in the Whitman Cluster. I'm also the VP of education for Ocdc, a 50 year old grassroots Asian American
organization. So I'm joined by two M.C.P.S. Students, Sid and Miles, and we respectfully request increased funding for inclusion of Asian American curriculum and teacher professional development. So Sid Miles and their peers can experience a more diversified curriculum, one that honors and
celebrates their identities in the context of the American experience. So this is highly personal for me because I'm a first hand witness to the almost non-existent progress we've made on this issue for the last 40 years. I grew up attending public school in New York in the 80s, a time when our nation was
fraught with anti-Japanese sentiment. At school, being heckled with racial slurs was commonplace, as was people slanting their eyes or bucking their teeth at me. That was then, and to my horror, it is now. Within months of starting middle school, my eldest child,
Jasper, came home and recounted an incident where another kid offered him $5 to slant his eyes for a social media post. How is this possible? How after 40 years, we have not made ♪any progress. You know, statistics
back up my family's experience. 52% of Americans cannot name one prominent Asian American. 55% say they don't know an event or policy related to the history or lives of Asian Americans. This is important because here in Maryland, we make up almost 5%
of the state's population. Here in Montgomery County, it's 16%. Yet we're virtually absent in the K-12 curriculum. So Sidney Miles will go into further detail about how this lack of representation has affected their learning experience. We have to do better, and we've got
to start now. Good afternoon, members of the Board of Education. My name is Siddharth Harish Shankar and I'm a freshman at Poolesville High School. Over the course of my eight years as a MCPs student, the number of times I felt represented through the curriculum is close to none. Time and time again,
contributions of Asian and Pacific Islanders have been overlooked or erased. Fundamental discoveries and ideas are often credited to white scientists, even when they're built upon the work of others. Take, for example, Isaac Newton, who is celebrated as the pioneer of the concept of gravity. While his work was
groundbreaking, people like Indian mathematician and astronomer Brahmagupta had recognized and written about the concept of objects being attracted to Earth centuries earlier. This omission not only misrepresents history, but also erases the legacy of Asian and Pacific Islanders, teaching an
inclusive curriculum that contributes to AAPI communities will benefit all students by providing a broader perspective for the approximately 22,000 Asian and Pacific Islander students. It will also create a much needed sense of belonging. A sense of belonging is vital for student success. When
students see themselves and their cultures reflected in what they learn, it nurtures their confidence, engagement, and sense of belonging. I urge the board to take the actionable steps to allocate funds to AAPI curriculum. Hi, my name is Miles
Chen and I'm a fourth grader at Bannockburn Elementary School. Asian Americans are never included in my social studies class, so I have to educate myself about AAPI history. I had an assignment to write about a
personal expertise. I chose to write about an Asian American innovator, Jensen Huang, the CEO of Nvidia and the creator of the GPU. Here's the first paragraph of my essay. Have you ever heard of Jensen Huang? Well, he deserves some credit for making
your life easier. Well, why do I hear of him earlier, you may ask? Well, nobody gives Asian Americans credit for anything. So you can thank Jensen Huang for making your PC not lag so you can make it into unreal one in Fortnite. There is so much more to learn. I don't want to
do all this research on my own and educate my peers, myself. Everyone in the district would benefit from a more diverse curriculum. Please include funding for the teaching of AAPI curriculum in your budget. Thank
you so much. Thanks. Ashburton PTA. You may proceed. Yeah.
Hilary. Yes. Hi. Good evening. Thank you. Thank you to the Board of Education. And thank you, Superintendent Taylor, for hearing us today. With me tonight is Teresa Dikes. She is the mother of a fourth grader at Ashburn Elementary School, and
she is one of our WJ or WJ clusters representing Ashburn. Teresa is going to discuss the human infrastructure needs of her school. But before she turns to those specific needs, it would be negligent of me not to address the overall capacity at Ashburton. Ashburton's current
population is 878 students and estimated to be 903 next year. It is the largest elementary school in the county, and this is not new to the community or to M.C.P.S, or to the Board of Education. In fact, the student population is the same as it was
in 2016, so this seems to be more of a feature than a bug at this point. Ashburn's population is equivalent to or larger than 16 of the middle schools in this county, but shoved into an elementary school footprint that is 120 students over capacity.
It has elementary school size halls, elementary school size cafeteria, gym, and classrooms. Yet it is serving a middle school sized population. This has created unsafe environments for students. High teacher turnover fifth grade students sitting on the floor for math
class, kids not being able to eat their lunch because the lunch line is too long, and delays in getting 504 established. I'm not being hyperbolic hyperbolic. These are real stories from the Ashburton Elementary School that span all six grades. I have with me a letter from nearly 200 families
and caregivers who have children that attend Ashburn, who will be attending Ashburton, that are not only demanding that the staff is supported by reducing class sizes, increasing paraeducators and having more special education support, but demanding that M.C.P.S. And the Board of Education end this
craziness and actually develop a plan for addressing the capacity issues at Ashburn. Teresa. Good evening, members of the Board of Education. My name is Teresa Dick. I'm a parent of a fourth grader at Ashburton Elementary.
Ashburton currently has close to 900 students and is at overcapacity. The constant this number will soon increase due to the constant construction of high population properties such as Emmeline, Astrid and the Ray housing development. Ashburton
has been forced to absorb the population growth without additional funding to ameliorate the impact. There is an urgent need for the board to take immediate action to provide appropriate and adequate resources that take into consideration the size and needs of Ashburton. The current
formula M.C.P.S. Uses to determine what resources are allocated to schools does not work for a large size school like Ashburton, and therefore needs to be reconsidered. It fails to consider that all schools are not identical in their needs and operations. In the case of Ashburton, which has
a larger percentage of students with different special needs than typical, the number of staff currently allocated under this model is insufficient, and due to the insufficient number of teachers allocated, its teachers are stretched to the limit, resulting in teacher burnout and a high level of
attrition. As such, we urge that the number of teachers and staff be increased as follows. Hire six new full time para educators to sufficiently support the majority of the student population. Right now, Ashburton has only one general para educator per grade who are
allocated as needed throughout classrooms, but also cover lunch and recess for all grades. And because of this, the large number of students are. Most of the Paraeducators time is spent providing lunch, recess services and not much classroom support.
And this, and due to the number of insufficient para educators to monitor students at lunch and recess, this poses a significant safety and security concern. We also need to allocate a Special Education Service Coordinator to coordinate services for
students, and to review IEPs and 504 plans to ensure that Ashburton complies with legal requirements. We also need to hire one additional full time special education teacher and two additional special education paraeducators as needed. Ashburton has close to 100
students receiving IEP services and a large number of students. 504 plans, and this number is comparable to middle schools. There is also an urgent need for a full time psychologist. Ashburton has only one part time
psychologist, which is it is required to share with another school. We urge you to consider, to continue to engage with Ashburton Elementary and schools close by to develop a plan that more adequately balances each school population in our area so that we do. Ashburton does not
need to continue to be the sole school, absorbing the population growth in our area. The current class size size guidelines also need to be reevaluated and thank you very much for your time. Thank you. Appreciate it. Thank you, thank you so much. Yeah, I
think you can stay. You can stay. Oh. Miss Davis. You can push the button. Yes. My name is Valerie Davis, and I am the convener of the Black Coalition for Excellence in Education. I
don't know where you were at 7:30 a.m. This morning, but I was standing with black and Latino advocates, including my daughter, outside my alma mater, Kennedy High School on Randolph Road in the cold weather with a protest sign saying Keep Kennedy
Safe. Then I spent the next four hours on site at the school, subjected to yet another experience of the never ending system of legal exclusion and oppression and violence, which continues in M.C.P.S. Schools today, the latest of which is
just Kennedy and Wooten. And I'm talking about those elements directed at black students and Brown students. It's a system that absolutely, without question, leads to death, death by curriculum violence. You heard that before. When you don't hear about yourself,
you're dead in curriculum death by misinformation. We sometimes get it, we sometimes don't. We get it jaded and we get it shaded. Physical violence as well as psychological violence. When you are excluded, that is psychological violence. You've heard about that blackness. Even
our beautiful brown skin that so many try to copy is weaponized, villainized and ostracized. I'm not here to ask for money. Might be one of the few people that comes up here and says that I'm here to talk about the financial return on investment for the
money M.C.P.S. Already spends. When it comes to our school district budget, it is hard to measure ROI for investment in black students, families and staff because there is no direct investment on which to calculate that return. Our tax dollars
flow everywhere but in the lives of black folks. How do I know? Because the budget proposal before you says so. When asked at the Budget Advisory Committee meeting, where are the line items dedicated to black folks, black students, black staff,
black families? The response was, you're not going to see any specific line items. And I quote, it's everybody's responsibility. Well, when it's everybody's responsibility, it's nobody's responsibility. I also know because of the words that have fallen out of the mouths of
people who are elected and appointed to lead and fund our school district, including some sitting before me today. Here they go. When you hear board members repeatedly asked for focus on black students, some of y'all don't get a response. Some
of you can't say black with also without also saying brown. It's not a single word. Black folks can be talked about and focused on as independent folk. Other answers are you ask hard questions that are too hard. We don't have answers, so we just don't respond. I'm better than
the other black candidates who ran against me, so that's why I stepped in. We can't find any programs specifically for black folks. We've looked all across the district. I don't know anything about racism, so I can't really do anything about it. After I get elected, I'll
talk about black things, but we just have to wait. And my favorite, your time is over. What's worse is that when it comes to funding and there will be a loss of funding, you'll cave. You'll cave on
contracting, hiring, feeding, teaching, training, measuring and reporting progress that has anything to do with black people. So ROI is something we're familiar with. Let's talk about it for a minute. Are black folks a good investment? The facts speak for themselves. Just look around students, parents, guardians, staff, elected
officials. Look around at your schools, your neighborhoods in this room. But for the descendants of chattel slavery, the only people allowed to sit on that dais would be Superintendent Taylor. As a white man. No women, no white
women, and no one who's not cisgender. We are the 92% that always saves the day. So let's go to another familiar measurement debt. If you take a loan from a bank, you don't get to pay it back whenever you decide, well, the decades of harm and neglect of black folks
are a debt that is owed your bill. Payment is overdue. Your bill has been sent to collections and a team of black collection agents. The 35,000 plus black students that you have failed to educate are coming to get our return. Your
bill is due in full. We're not going anywhere. We will stay in these rooms and these schools and even in these streets on behalf of not just black students, all the students, all the staff, all of you. And that's something we should all
be grateful for. Thank you. Thank you. Next is the Montgomery County School
Psychologist Association. You can turn on the light and introduce yourself first. Okay.
Oh, I'm Alondra Anderson, Madison Buckholtz, and we're the co-presidents of Montgomery County School Psychologist Association. Okay. Good evening. President Yang, vice president, Rivera-Oven and Board of education members. And
Superintendent Doctor Taylor, as we just mentioned, we introduced ourselves. Yes. So we are the co-presidents of the Montgomery County School Psychologist Association. We would like to express our gratitude and support for maintaining the current number of school psychologists and central services positions in the 25 to
26 operating budget. The journey to the current allocation was made possible through collaborative, strategic and data based decision making between M.C.P.S. Leadership Division of Psychological Services and the Montgomery County Education Association. We have closed the gap in vacant
positions in school psychology from 33 vacancies to five in just two years. This was a huge success and is a testament to the amazing work that our 135 M.C.P.S. School psychologists and Central Services staff do every day. We feel that it's important for us to share a
brief overview of who M.C.P.S. School psychologists are. The vital role we play within M.c.p.s, and the comprehensive services we provide as we welcome new board members and superintendent. Doctor Taylor M.C.P.S, school psychologist and Central Service Psychologist, are highly trained individuals who provide a comprehensive range of services to support
students to thrive in school, at home, in the community and throughout their lives. These services include mental health support, such as direct counseling services for both special education and general education students to address emotional and behavioral challenges. Crisis response, which includes providing support
for students and staff during critical incidents such as unexpected death of a student or staff member, risk assessments and behavior threat assessments for evaluating students at risk for harm to themselves or others. Psychological assessments, which includes comprehensive assessments for
determining special education services. And section 504 accommodations, as well as functional behavior assessments and behavior intervention plans to improve student outcomes. Psychologists also provide consultation and behavioral supports, including working closely with teachers, administrators, and other school
staff members as part of the student well-being team and collaborating to develop interventions and supports for both students inside and outside of the classroom. Our Central Service Psychologist, also known as Resource Psychologist, provide direct support to students and staff in assisting schools with assessment needs,
intervention, development and crisis response. School psychologists are an avenue for students from marginalized communities to access mental health supports, as well as evaluations such as 504 and special education assessments. As M.c.p.s looks to expand special education services, we want to emphasize the critical
role psychologists play in this expansion. We are extremely grateful for the positions we have been allocated and request the maintenance of these positions in order to steer us closer to the ratio of 500 students to one school psychologist, as recommended by the National Association of School Psychologists Professional Standards. This
ratio is critical to providing high quality, comprehensive psychological services. Based on the projected 125 school psychologist position and the Special Education Staffing Plan for the fiscal year 2026 operating budget document, we would have an average ratio of
one school psychologist to 1277 students. Ratios have improved by approximately 19% from three years ago, when the previous co-presidents reported to you an average of one school psychologist to 1574 students. At this time, we are grateful to see the ratios have continued to
improve as we strive to meet Nga's recommended ratios. In order to provide the most comprehensive services to our students. Data shows that the residual effects of the pandemic have significantly increased the demand for mental health services. Assessments and crisis response. Despite this surge, we retained only three of the 12
positions originally promised by the county council in 2022. The other nine were reallocated to other mental health positions. This has placed additional strain on existing staff, limiting the services possible for students. While we are here to support the maintenance of the current alloc school psychologist and central
services positions, we ask you to please keep in mind that the nine positions would have helped school psychologists to provide more services to students had they remained in our allocation. School psychologists are skilled in various methods of emotional regulation. With such critical decisions at bay, we recognize the impact it may have on you.
Engaging in mindful practices often include utilizing the power of gratitude, which has been shown to significantly improve overall being by promoting positive outcomes, reducing stress, and enhancing resilience. As we step away, we again would like to express our gratitude for our currently
allocated school psychologists in central service positions. We appreciate the maintenance of this current allocation as we continue to do the necessary work to support our students, we close with two simple words. Thank you. Thank you. Miss
Rutenberg. Good evening, Doctor Taylor and members of the board. My name is Miriam Rutenberg, and I'm testifying on behalf of Silver Spring Justice Coalition. SSA is an organization of community members, faith groups, and civil and human rights
organizations from throughout Montgomery County. We work to reduce the presence of police in our communities, eliminate violence and harm by police, establish transparency and accountability, and redirect public funds toward community needs. To that end, and in
support of our partners at Young People for progress, SJC urges you to prioritize restorative justice and restorative approaches by increasing restorative justice staffing in the FY 26 operating budget to include a full time restorative justice coach in every middle
and high school in Montgomery County Public Schools. M.c.p.s. Already has data showing a 40 to 41% decrease in Black or African American suspensions at schools where restorative specialists were assigned. But the reality today is that there are very
limited number of RJ specialists that are divided among all the secondary schools, and not enough staffing to effectively provide restorative approaches to support all students who need it. Only about 3% of M.c.p.s schools report having a mature
restorative justice. This approach in place. Every student deserves to be in a safe and supportive learning environment every day. Restorative justice is a vital approach that contributes to that kind of environment. By providing a framework where every student is treated with respect and
dignity, allowing them to grow and learn from their mistakes. By focusing on restorative practices, we can address the root causes of conflict, helping students understand the impact of their actions, and rather than relying on punitive measures that too often disproportionately affect
students of color and students with disabilities and fuel the school to prison pipeline in Baltimore City, schools that have implemented restorative practices saw school suspension rates drop 44% in one year, and 72% of the school staff reported
an improved school climate. Restorative approaches, with training guided by full time restorative coaches, equip students with critical problem solving and conflict resolution skills that are foundational to contributing to their communities, both as students
now and as the adults they will grow to be. These approaches also foster a positive and supportive school environment, as found in the Baltimore City Study. We realize that the Board of Education has heard some concerns from some parents about the implementation of restorative approaches in schools, but many of these
concerns are related to the fact that restorative justice has been implemented to date, with limited resources, limited staffing and education about these approaches, there's compelling research supporting RJ practices when they are well funded with appropriate staffing. In addition to having
a full time coach in every middle and high school, Sshrc asks M.C.P.S. To conduct a public education campaign to inform the entire school community about what restorative approaches are and their proven benefits, and to create clearer and more standardized protocols
and guidelines around restorative approaches that center racial equity and justice. We urge you to make restorative justice a priority in the FY 26 school budget. Let's invest in practices that build equity, foster better
communication, and create safer, more inclusive schools for all students. Thank you. Thank you. Miss Landis. Good evening. Board president Yang. Vice president
Rivera-Oven. Members of the Board of Education and Doctor Taylor. First, congratulations to our new board members and to Doctor Taylor on assuming your new roles. Thank you for the opportunity to speak to you today. My name is Sandra Landis, and I'm the Montgomery County chapter leader of Start School.
Later, a national organization dedicated to ensuring school start times compatible with health, safety, education and equity. I simultaneously serve as the Bell Time Subcommittee chair of the MCPs to Health and Wellness Committee. This is the fourth consecutive year that
MCPs to has included establishing medically recommended secondary school start times in its advocacy priorities. We'd like to take a major step forward in achieving this goal this year. We know this is a tight budget year. You can all exhale. We're not asking for any new funding. We
understand that not every solution requires new money. Sometimes it's more about directing resources in the right way. We wish to thank the board and Doctor Taylor and ask you to formally guide M.C.P.S. In a direction that aligns health and well-being with good fiscal and operational management. In
short, to exercise effective leadership over the M.c.p.s. Excerpts enterprise. Given that the three board members elected in November responded to our candidate questionnaire with such eloquent statements on their own regarding the need for later secondary school bell times, and that two of them
signed our petition. You might have plans to do this anyway. However, we'd like to ensure that action is taken. We would like you to promulgate a resolution indicating that it is your intent to establish later school start times for teens, consistent with three decades of medical research and with the
resolutions promulgated by the National PTA in 2017 and by the society for Public Health Education just last week, this is vitally important to get guidance from this body so that all components of M.c.p.s. And the community can move forward in unison with operations and
policies consistent with this goal, instead of in a piecemeal and piecemeal fashion that fails to connect the dots. This very budget before you includes funds in areas that need to be aligned. One such example is the coordination of the boundaries and transportation studies going on. There surely are many other
areas as well. Absent a resolution and a clear goal statement, it is unlikely that this coordination will magically occur. A resolution shared with every M.c.p.s employee will allow them to reflect on their operational areas and plan adjustments to ensure smooth implementation when the change
occurs. It is also an excellent use of the time between the current state of transportation operations, which is under study now using your base budget, funding and final implementation of any changes, I remind you that transportation has been cited as the main reason for M.C.P.S. Inability to implement
safe and healthy Bell times. Our neighbors in Anne Arundel and Howard counties have been able to adjust their bell times at no additional cost through their respective transportation studies. It truly is a lost opportunity for us not to take advantage of the contract expertise where funding with
base dollars to address this area that M.c.p.s has been grappling with for over a decade, we made incremental progress with delaying secondary school start times a decade ago, but sadly, we didn't finish the job. Our students, most importantly our school system and our community are now all
paying the price in terms of dollars, lives lost and reputations diminished for leadership. Having dropped the ball, establishing later bell times is fundamental to secondary school students health and well-being. Nearly every medical organization recommends that secondary school start times begin no earlier than 8:30
a.m. Compounding the sleep deficit is the fact that current bell times require our teens to be woken for school during the most critical time of their sleep cycles, which occurs toward its end when higher level brain functions develop, including reasoning, problem solving, and good judgment.
Hence our operational disregard and is interfering with our students ability to access the curriculum on which we're spending millions of dollars to develop the very critical thinking skills we want them to have, and to succeed in school and in their lives. In closing, as you grapple with the upcoming
budget, I want to share that there is no amount of money you can throw at the problems that you are simultaneously causing by ignoring two early bell times that will solve them. Please enact a resolution copies of which of the recent ones are hyperlinked in my testimony and
manager base operations accordingly. Thank you. Thank you. I'm inviting the next six organizations to come forward.
Is McCarthy. McCarthy. McCarthy. McCarthy. McCarthy. Young people for progress. Maryland. Poor People's campaign. Children's opportunity Alliance and Black and Brown. Coalition for
Educational Equity and Excellence.
Cathy. Hello. How are you? Good. All right. We're going to go ahead with the testimony audience, please remain silent so we can pay attention to all the testimonies. Thank you so
much. Mr. Walker. You may proceed. Good evening, President Yang. Members of the Board of Education and Doctor Taylor. Mym the executive vice president of Macamp. I am here tonight to discuss the importance of
collaboration. And as we navigate the challenges of finalizing the FY 26 budget, I also stand to advocate for the administrators who are the backbone of implementing your strategic plan, focused on academic excellence, wellbeing, family engagement, and
operational efficiency. First, I want to acknowledge the progress we've made together. We are pleased to have reached a tentative agreement on compensation for next school year. This agreement builds on the stridesade over the past two years to close the growing gaps between M.C.P.S. And other
school systems. It is a vital step in addressing employee retention challenges and demonstrates the value you place on the work of our administrators that they do every day on behalf of students, and for that we are grateful. However, I must also express our
deep disappointment with how recent budget decisions impacting positions have been handled. Specifically, the process has not adhered to the principles of transparency, collaboration and adherence to established procedures. These
omissions have eroded trust and created unnecessary uncertainty for our members. We recognize the challenging decisions required to reduce central office and operational costs. Yet there has been little clarity on how these decisions
were made. Administrators whose positions are slated for elimination or reclassification were not consulted about their workload, the impact of their work on student success, or how they collaborate across offices. This lack of engagement
represents a missed opportunity to follow the tenets of the Compact of Respect, a commitment we all share to foster collaboration and respect in decision making. Many administrators now feel confused, undervalued and
disregarded despite their dedication and contributions to the school system. Regulation G, HRA, which governs the maintenance of the Position Reclassification Plan, provides clear guidelines for making changes to salary grades. It
requires input from impacted employees, supervisors, desk audits, focus groups, and union involvement. These procedures were not followed, nor have revised job descriptions been released for positions affected
by proposed reclassifications as required by this regulation. Additionally, article 19 of the Macapp contract calls for the formation of a collaborative team, including Macapp representatives, to evaluate reorganizations and determine
whether significant changes necessitate employees to reapply for their positions. This process has also been bypassed. As a result, many of our members have been left in limbo since
December 11th, 47 days and counting administrators have been waiting to learn whether their positions will be eliminated or their salaries will be reduced, or if they will need to reapply for their jobs. This prolonged uncertainty has
taken a severe toll on their emotional well-being. Despite this, they continue to provide exemplary service, balancing complex roles that involve supervising employees, engaging families, collaborating with
stakeholders, and maintaining compliance with laws and regulations. Employee retention is already a significant challenge if experienced administrators continue to leave the system, taking with them their knowledge of local, state and federal compliance
requirements, who will ensure that M.c.p.s. Remains in good standing. The knowledge lost with eliminated positions is not easily replaced. I urge the board to the board to reflect on the broader impact of these decisions, not only on the
individuals directly affected, but also on the students, families and staff who rely on their expertise. Moving forward, I ask for greater transparency, adherence to established procedures, and a renewed
commitment to collaboration and respect. We all want the same outcome a thriving school system that serves every student while supporting the dedicated employees who make it possible. Let's work together to ensure the FY 26 budget reflects those
values. Thank you. Thank you. Mr. Stein. Hello, president Yang, Doctor Taylor and members of the Board of Education. My name is David Stein, and I'm very happy to be here today on behalf of the Montgomery County
Education Association and our 14,000 hard working certificated educators of M.c.p.s. Each year we come together educators, associations, community members to call upon the Board of Education to do right by students in this district by adopting a budget that will
allow them to thrive and achieve both as students and as the youngest members of our democracy. So I want to spend some of my time today focusing on our students and the many expectations and burdens that we place on them. As educators, we expect academic excellence from
them as they navigate complex social emotional situations that manifest in ways wholly alien to many of us. I, for one, am thankful for not having to confront the vagaries of social media when I was young. As parents and family members, we love them while burdening them
with our dreams, hopes and aspirations for tomorrow greater than our present. And as a community, we see their successes and failures as a reflection of ourselves. Fair or not, if these younger members of our community fall short, we see this as an indictment of
ourselves, of our own failings. In many ways, these expectations and burdens are gifts that young people have been given by every generation for, well, generations. We do this because we believe in them and in ourselves, and that is worth
celebrating. But it is a hollow belief. It is, if it is devoid of a commitment, worthy of these dreams, of these hopes, of these expectations. It is a cheap trick to expect students to achieve in the face of adversity, of income inequality, of social injustice, in
overcrowded classrooms, in schools, without functioning HVAC, in classrooms, without the support of a single parent educator. So today, we are asking you to adopt the budget that Doctor Taylor proposed at the end of last year. This is a proposed operating budget that
in many ways, is still not worthy of the expectations that we place on these young people. It is not a budget that solves all of our challenges, but should be viewed as a down payment in our students and in their success. In many ways, it is evidence that this is not a
dreamers budget, but one crafted by a pragmatist. It is also clear that this budget prioritizes students and schools by centering the classroom, something that every school budget should be doing to MCE. The most essential elements of this budget proposal are one.
Its commitment to increasing special education staffing, including teachers and paraeducators students, families, and educators have recognized our obligation to dramatically increase funding levels to meet long standing needs in special ed. This budget
helps right this issue. I want to call particular attention to the additional and reclassification of paraeducator positions. While not in my unit, these support professionals are absolutely essential in the work of MCA educators. Two it's effort to retain and recruit
educators by enhancing salaries and working conditions. As the supply of educators dwindles, those in demand have their choice of where to work and raise their families. This budget makes helps make working and living in Montgomery County more attractive. Three its goal of increasing the number of
English language development educators working in the district. The ability to read, write and speak in English will help empower those newest to our district and contribute to them finding success both in school and in our community. And four, its its efforts to increase
equity and opportunity for all through equity add ons. We know that some in our community need a little more support to achieve greater outcomes, and Montgomery County should be a place that not only recognizes this difference, but seeks to remedy it. This budget attempts to do just that. And while budget
spreadsheets are populated by numbers, we know that most of the numbers in the documents are not figures, but actual people, many of whom are committed school district employees. And we need to be deeply thoughtful about the implications of this budget on them. We need to ensure that any changes in
budget allocations, including cuts or flattening in central services, do not affect the support that our students need, particularly our most vulnerable students. We would be deeply troubled if reorganization reduces positions, providing vital sports to our students.
And lastly, I want to be clear all of us in this room recognize the fiscal constraints in which we are currently operating, but we should not let present limitations constrain the possibilities of the future. If the future we want is of robust public schools, one of academic and student excellence. So let
us take this first step together. Let's adopt a fully funded budget to take one step closer to making our students dreams and ours a reality. Let's create a school district that is about excellence, equity, and
opportunity for all. Thank you. Miss Baker. You have. Okay. Hello. Good evening. Members of the board. Doctor Taylor and
O'Neill. My name is Tatiana. Becca. I am a junior at Wheaton High School, and I'm also the president of the Young People for progress chapter there. I urge the Board of Education to expand funding in the proposed M.c.p.s budget for restorative justice initiatives.
Specifically, I advocate for the inclusion of full time RJ coaches and a revision of the Code of Conduct to echo restorative justice initiatives. This expansion would ensure a more equitable and effective approach to fostering positive
relationships for all students in M.c.p.s. I initially had my own reservations about restorative justice, believing that it was as simple as good choices yielded good results, and bad choices yielded bad results. I didn't really consider that some students came
from backgrounds where fostering self-accountability discipline and a good work ethic were challenging. Through my experiences with Ypp and RJ workshops, I've seen firsthand how transformative restorative justice can be. These workshops
educated us about the school to prison pipeline. RJ principles and how to self-advocate at the community, county, and school levels. I want to learn alongside like minded and driven peers, and restorative justice provides a pathway to move us
all forward in that direction. The need for a restorative justice approach became particularly clear to me during a recent town hall at my school. While town halls are intended to be forums where students, staff and sometimes parents can openly
discuss important issues, share perspectives, ask questions, and provide feedback to admin, the purpose of these forums have been diluted each time we're shown the same slide show, encouraging us to complete credits, log SSL hours, and stay
on track for graduation while ensuring students stay on track academically is important, school administrators can sometimes be unable to provide the individualized support that each student needs. In one instance, it was announced announced that 44 students in
our junior class were still registered as ninth graders. In terms of credit completion, the murmurs in that room was undeniable. At that moment, it felt as though students not meeting these benchmarks were viewed as inconveniences, rather
than individuals facing unique challenges. This approach, while unintentional, alienates the struggling students and discourages them from seeking help rather than shaming the students that were registered as ninth graders, RJ helps question
the why. What is it exactly that restricts them from moving up the grade? And how can we work towards finding solutions to address the issue? Traditional discipline is often often punishes students without helping them understand why
their actions were wrong. Restorative justice, however, focuses on understanding and repairing the harm, promoting personal growth and accountability. Along the way, RJ coaches ensure students receive understanding, tailored support and the resources
necessary to thrive without feeling like their struggles make them a burden to ensure a more fair and inclusive school climate. I truly urge the board to keep investing in and expanding restorative justice programs to ensure that M.c.p.s stays at the forefront of
promoting fairness, understanding and positive change. Thank you so much. Thank you. Miss Ward. Good evening. My name is Brittany Anuskavich and
I am the Strategic Public financing coordinator at Children's Opportunity Alliance. Thank you for the opportunity to speak with you tonight. The Montgomery County Children's Opportunity Alliance is the county's designated early care and education coordinating
entity that brings community together to create a more equitable, accessible, high quality and sustainable early childhood system that narrows disparities and puts young children on a path to reach their greatest potential. We are here tonight to speak on behalf
of Montgomery County's youngest citizens. The nearly 60,000 children in our county from birth until the time they reach compulsory school age, thanks to advancements in brain science research, we know that 90% of the brain develops before age
five because the brain is most flexible and adaptable to learning. During the earliest years, a strong foundation in the early years increases the probability of positive lifelong outcomes, and a weak foundation increases the odds of
difficulties later in life. Investing in young children before they begin kindergarten produces a return on investment through high school graduation and beyond. We want to thank Montgomery County Public Schools for the investments and efforts to support young children. Thus
far. Pre-K expansion, continuing to offer Head Start seats and expanding duty centers to open a third site this year are laudable and appreciated. And yet there is an urgent need for Montgomery County to do more to meet the needs of young children
and the adults who care for them. Less than half of children are entering kindergarten, demonstrating readiness for children with disabilities. English language learners, children from low income families, and our black and brown children. Less than a
quarter of children in these populations demonstrate readiness. The blueprint for Maryland's Future calls on us to expand pre-K to serve all tier one, three, and four year olds and all tier two four year olds by 2030 via a mixed delivery
system. A report commissioned by the Montgomery County government estimates there are 13,000 children who fit within these tiers, meaning M.c.p.s. Will need to expand to have over 6600 full day seats to provide 50% of
the system. In this current year, there are 4463 seats across pre-K, Head Start and Special Education pre-K, with around 3500 of them. Full day. What does the Board of
Education, the superintendent and M.c.p.s staff doing to ensure we are able to meet this state goal? We urge Montgomery County Public Schools to prioritize pre-K expansion and to ensure pre-K and Head Start stay fully funded, particularly
if the county does not fund the full budget request. We support the strategy to prioritize converting part day seats to full day seats. We, along with other community advocates, want to see a detailed plan,
including a timeline for the continued expansion of full day pre-K. To see a list of the elementary schools where pre-K will be added or grown in the near future, and understand how M.c.p.s plans to meet the demands of the blueprint. We
would also like to know if there are plans for continued Judy Center expansion to learn which communities and schools are being considered for application in the future. We thank you for your work and we want to be a partner in continuing this work in the future. Thank you. Thank
you. Miss Chase. One more time. Oh, it was on already. Hello. Good evening. Members of the Board of Education and Doctor Taylor. My name is Leah Chase, the director of. I am the Director of Operations and
Community engagement with the Black and Brown Coalition for Educational Equity and Excellence. I'm here this evening representing the communities that we advocate for and with to share our thoughts on the superintendent's proposed operating budget for FY 2026. I
want to start by thanking President Yang and SC McGuire for attending last week's NAACP Parent Council meeting and answering our questions as it relates to the proposed budget. So thank you, President Yang. We look forward to your follow up as it relates to class, to our questions, as it relates to
class sizes, out of school time, funding and learning independence trips. Thank you. Also to you, Doctor Taylor, for meeting with us, the Black and Brown Coalition, and answering our questions as well. We appreciate you. You did a great job. The BBC asked Doctor Taylor
during that meeting some questions. The overarching question was, how do the numbers outlined in the proposed FY 2026 budget translate to improved outcomes for our Black and Brown students, who are the majority demographic in this county and
faring the worst in almost every area, including academic outcomes and safety and security. Doctor Taylor answered each and every one of our questions in a more than satisfactory manner. That was great, and we are cautiously optimistic about the proposed
budget allocation. They appear to be based on student need, particularly for our black and Brown students. This focus on equity is a step in the right direction, and we appreciate the superintendent's efforts to address the disparities that have long affected our communities. However, with this optimism comes a call for
accountability and continued communication. What happens if the data doesn't trend upward as it relates to the abysmal reading proficiency data and even worse, math proficiency data for our children? What happens as our black and Brown students continue to suffer racism and anti-Black racism in our school district? What
happens when safety and security issues persist? Most recently at Kennedy High School? What are the accountable accountability measures put in place? Do the additional positions, bodies, and organizational restructuring translate into culturally
competent individuals who will be adept at serving all of our students, but especially our most marginalized black and brown students, our emerging multilingual learners, our students with disabilities? Well M.C.P.S. Adhere to its own policies and allow the equity unit, for example, to actually
enact and implement the courageous and effective work it has been doing in individual schools, where data shows the positive effects on staff and students. And what about restorative practices? Clearly, I can go on and on. The Black and Brown Coalition urges the board to ensure that there are
clear metrics and regular updates on the progress of these initiatives. Transparency is crucial for building trust and ensuring that the resources are indeed making a difference where they are most needed. We also want to endorse the superintendents concept of directing more resources to
areas of higher need. The Black and Brown Coalition is on board with Superintendent Taylor's enacting equity with a spreadsheet approach. This approach has the potential to create a more equitable educational environment for all students. Nevertheless, we acknowledge that it remains to
be seen if this strategy will be effective in practice. We encourage the board to closely monitor the implementation and outcomes of this approach, making adjustments as necessary to ensure its success. Additionally, we must address the pressing concerns regarding safety and security at all of our schools. Kennedy High School
comes to mind. This predominantly Latino and black school has been facing significant challenges, and it is disheartening to see that the necessary attention, support and resources it deserves are not in place. Actually, let me be clear, the programs and all of the things do exist at Kennedy,
but they don't seem to be working. Why is that? Are they being implemented with fidelity and including teacher and student voice? Has anyone called on young People for progress? This nonprofit organization with Danielle Blocker at the helm alongside her awesome team, have
been working tirelessly, tirelessly on the implementation of restorative practices in all of our schools and have been advocating for, as you heard here tonight, for full time restorative justice coaches in every middle and high school, the safety and well-being of our students should be a top
priority not just in word, but in deed, and we urge the board to take immediate action to address these issues. I thought five minutes was enough. In conclusion, while we are hopeful about the direction of the proposed budget, we emphasize the need for accountability, transparency, and commitment to addressing the specific needs of all of our students, especially
the most marginalized. Doctor Taylor, your success in our school system means success for our administrators, our teachers, but more importantly, for our students. We want that for you. We're partnering with you to make that happen. Thank
you all for your time and consideration. I'm calling the next six organizations to come forward to the table for asylum
and immigration reform. Jewish United for justice, Kennedy High School PTSA, Arcola Elementary School, PTSA, Montgomery County Taxpayers League, and NAACP
Parents Council. And which one are you? NAACP Parent Council? I don't see it, so I'm going to
call SEIU local 500. Okay, so is this Miss Tajine. Okay. Please go ahead. You have
five minutes. Good afternoon, Doctor Taylor and members of the board. My name is Salam Tegang. I'm a senior at Sherwood High School and speaking here today as a community director of Fair, the president of the Ethiopian Eritrean Student Association and an immigrant, one of the core
values of the Board of Education is that fair treatment, honesty, openness and integrity are essential and that the diversity of our culture, interests, skills and backgrounds is an asset that makes us stronger. These words resonate deeply with me because they reflect what we
believe are the heart of every program and every opportunity. M.c.p.s. Provides for all students, and that's why I'm here today to speak in support of proper funding for the Career Readiness Education Academy. A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to visit Korea. I
spoke with the students and staff and what I learned was eye opening. I was saddened to hear about the lack of support and attention the county was been providing. Korea has an incredible potential, but without adequate funding, it will be unable to fulfill its mission as a proper. As a former
Smob candidate, one of the best parts of the campaign, something I'm sure Pernille can agree with, was visiting schools across the county. It's inspiring to see how each school tailors its resources to meet with the specific needs of its students. Unfortunately, I did not see that same level of care
and attention at Korea. Due to low funding. The program is left unstaffed, understaffed and is denied the basic resources and necessities. All other M.C.P.S. Students have. The program currently has only one full time teacher, and roughly 133
students. Many of the students in the program are immigrants, and most are working full time jobs while attending this academy. These students face significant challenges, including language barriers, mental health struggles, and lack of support systems. Despite these obstacles, they remain
committed to their education and career goals. It is crucial that M.c.p.s. Takes these realities into account when discussing funding for this program. By allocating the necessary funding for Korea, it will be able to hire additional staff, provide basic resources, and provide the mentorship and support these
students need, as well as creating an environment that encourages these students to succeed. I suggest that you all take the time and visit Korea, so you can see firsthand how severely your decisions are affecting these students. I hope you take my words into account
and choose to invest more into Korea. Thank you. Miss Fromberg. Good evening. My name is Lisa Firnberg. I'm a resident of
Rockville and an M.C.P.S. Parent, and I'm here tonight on behalf of Jews United for justice, which represents over 2000 Jews and allies across the county who who act on our shared Jewish values to advance social, economic and racial justice. I would like to thank the Board of
Education for its initial support of, and faith in the power of restorative justice, and I'm heartened by the data that shows the positive outcomes at M.C.P.S, restorative justice focused schools for the FY 26 budget, George is joining Young People for Progress, Racial
Justice Now and student leaders in calling for full time restorative justice coaches in every middle and high school in M.C.P.S. And revising the code of conduct to integrate restorative justice practices. I'm a parent of a second grader at Lakewood Elementary School and a four year old future
M.C.P.S. Student. I see the hope and promise of our community's future every day in my children and their classmates. I want my children to be part of a school community that values the humanity of each child, and is a partner in shaping our children to take responsibility for their
actions face meaningful, not punitive, consequences, and learn the critically important skills of forgiveness and peacemaking. I want restorative justice to be fully funded and the norm of operations. Long before my kids hit middle school, Jewish tradition teaches
that the only way to atone for our interpersonal transgressions is for the wrongdoer to understand their mistake and ask forgiveness of the wronged. When our children are young, we instinctively teach them that their unkind words and actions have immediate consequences on the person they have hurt, and
we help them to face the person they have wronged and apologize. Likewise, we guide our children to forgive those who have harmed them while childhood. Pushing, name calling, or taking of toys is not meant to belittle the more serious adolescent misconduct, the moral fabric of
our teaching and emotional guidance should remain the same. Children, whether aged seven, 12 or 17, are shaped by the way the adults and adult led systems in their lives treat them. The systems and structures of our public schools should model the principles of being truly
accountable for one's actions and seeking to make whole what has been broken. There's plenty of widely available evidence to support the intuitive notion that, as a culture shifting practice, restorative justice is an investment in our young people that ultimately reduces
violence in our schools and in our communities. Restorative justice is still accountability for one's wrongdoing. Restorative justice honors the needs of victims. Restorative justice keeps kids out of prison. We must nurture the pro-social emotional development
we desire, not stoke the flames of resentment, anger and injustice that comes from criminalizing children. Therefore, I urge the Board of Education to provide full funding for full time restorative justice coaches in every middle school and high school, and to expand the use of restorative practices across
M.C.P.S. Thank you. Thank you. Mr. Rivera. Go ahead. Good evening. M.C.P.S. Board of Education. After testifying, writing emails, having conversations, escalating concerns, holding community town
halls and repeatedly telling you to take the safety and security of our students and staff more seriously. The chickens have come home to roost on Thursday, January 23rd, John F Kennedy High School was rocked by both the shelter in place and a lockdown in the same school day. The shelter in place occurred
around 11 a.m. Due to a student who attempted a medication overdose in front of their classmates. By 1:06 p.m, parents, students and staff were alerted that the school was going into a lockdown. Students and staff weren't alerted to the reason for the lockdown at the time, but it was due to reports
of a student with a gun in the building. The gun was never found and the student who was suspected of having the gun managed to leave the building at some point. Thankfully, no one was hurt this time, but who knows what could happen in the future. Those are the facts of those two incidents, and more information and details need to come to light as investigations
continue. But what is known at this point does raise grave concerns about the readiness and responsiveness of the school when faced with future serious incidents. But I don't want to use this time to elevate my voice or just these incidents. I ask students, parents, and teachers at Kennedy to share
their thoughts and perspectives on how they've been impacted by the compromised state of security and safety at the school. I'm going to read a few of the most salient ones now. The rest you can read in my submitted written testimony from a Kennedy SGA member. I have a little brother that goes to middle school here in Montgomery
County at Kennedy. Shelter in place and occasional lockdowns no longer have a shock factor to us. I refuse to believe that one day my brother will feel the same way. The fact that students have become so detached from the urgency of these emergency procedures shows how too often we go about our days thinking
it's normal. I'm not saying I want students to be fearful during these procedures. I want students to realize the importance of our safety and not become desensitized to emergencies. We should not have to so often go through shelters and lockdowns, worry about what could happen during the day, or even have to wonder if my
siblings school is safe. I know I would feel less anxious. I know my brother will feel more comfortable if the environment our parents send us to was truly as safe as it's meant to be. Security in your students ambitions and academic starts with how safe we feel, how we know we will be protected at school. M.c.p.s. Needs to
protect their students. Show initiative. Show that they truly care if they want their students to thrive. From a Kennedy teacher, I think it is vitally important for M.c.p.s. To invest in safety a security staff because it is one of the primary tenets of M.C.P.S. Mission to create safe places for our
students to learn. How can we make places feel safe if we are not prioritizing the very physical safety of the buildings? We know that. We know that if students do not feel safe, they cannot learn. In my classroom, I can create only so much of a safe space. If what students experience just outside of my classroom door in the
hallway is chaos, I cannot create a place to feel safe. If every entry point is a seive of people who have no belongings in the building, my students do not have the ability to learn if they are concerned about whether they should go to the bathroom or not, because they might encounter someone there either doing or selling drugs. If we
are to restore learning, we have to restore safety. And lastly, from a Kennedy parent, I check in with my daughter about her feelings on health and safety at school. We've talked about her encounters with drug use in the school. Basically, she has already figured out how to avoid areas where there are more
crowds or intense drug use. We talked about there being a gun on campus this week, and she didn't really have anxiety about it. She has just accepted this is how it is at Kennedy, but she understands this is not unique to Kennedy. That is really all the DCC schools for the lockdown incident on Thursday. I feel
that M.C.P.S. Lied by omitting key information in the community letter. That letter never actually admitted there was a gun in the building, just that one was never found. I don't trust that M.c.p.s. Is being upfront about what really happens, and therefore how can I feel comfortable sending my child to school? In my
experience at Syms and more recently at Kennedy, M.C.P.S. Seems more concerned about putting up a front to either make excuses for inaction or string together some fancy words to make it sound like they are doing something. In either case, the students and staff are stuck with dealing with the consequences. I struggle with understanding why M.c.p.s
doesn't tackle the problems. Is it because they don't have ideas on how it always seems to come down to money, which is always in short supply? Does that mean if M.c.p.s had more money, everything would be better? I don't really believe that. And so in closing, our school community is asking once again
for M.c.p.s. And the Board of Education to uphold its promise to make our schools safe and secure. Kennedy is not safe and has not been safe for a long time. It's time to fulfill the asks outlined in the June audit by the Office of System Wide Emergency Management, which recommends increasing safety staff, fixing the technical and
infrastructure gaps outlined, and developing a meaningful plan with community input and collaboration to truly keep Kennedy safe. Thank you. Thank
you, Miss Mayor. All right. Hi, my name is Nicole Mayer, and that's that's tough to follow. Either way. So hi. My name is Nicole Mayer. I am president of the PTA at Arcola Elementary
School. And I'm testifying today to represent the majority views for Arcola's community of. Currently I have 720 students on here. I heard it was 696 earlier. You know how school numbers go. So let's meet in the
middle and say about 700 ish. Over a thousand parents and guardians, community members, and most importantly, as an advocate and ally to our Arcola teachers and staff, three major themes I want to highlight for the board tonight. First, our
community continues to thrive with the continuation of the extended school year, also referred to or by or as the Innovative School calendar. Second, the need for additional
support staff is critical to the continued success at Arcola. And third, we as a community urge you as a board to submit the recommended budget and not make any reductions or cuts prior to
submission to the County Council. You, as members of the board, have chosen to serve our community and our students. I firmly believe that elementary school is where one hopefully learns to love school. It's a critical foundation for the rest
of any student's academic and ultimately social trajectory. As a parent volunteer, I see the dedication of our students. And of our teachers and of our staff, and how I'm sorry I
messed up there. Hahaha. Many of our students, many of our teachers and staff travel from other counties, even other states, some as far from Pennsylvania, and have a 1.5 hour commute to just work at our awesome school. They too have
chosen to serve the students of our community and welcome the additional support as outlined in the recommended budget. On a final note, I appreciate having the opportunity to address you this evening on behalf of our PTA. Almost a year ago, the
board heard from Arcola parents, teachers, staff, and community members as there were some dire budgetary issues and the agency was facing the chopping block. We are thankful to address you under different circumstances regarding a well thought out,
responsible budget that should be approved in its entirety. Thank you for your time and we know you'll make the best decision you can for our students. Thank you, thank you. Miss Wells. Good evening. Board
president Yang, board members, Superintendent Taylor, staff and community members. My name is Esther Wells and I am the president of the Montgomery County Taxpayers League. To learn more about us, please check out our website, MCPs
Taxpayers league.org or on social media, on Twitter, at Moco taxpayers or email me directly. President MCPs at gmail.com. The objective of the Montgomery County Taxpayers League is to educate and advocate for county taxpayers. We support appropriate actions to achieve greater efficiency and effectiveness in Montgomery County government and tax equity
for Montgomery County taxpayers. Thank you to M.C.P.S. Staff for bringing back table one a it is a great summary of what's changing year over year. Thank you to all BOE members for your insightful questions during budget work sessions and listening to the community's needs for increased
transparency, accessibility, and oversight of M.c.p.s operating budget. As an avid viewer of everything M.c.p.s. It was great to watch the interaction and discussions around the top priorities, opportunities and challenges in M.c.p.s and ultimately funding our future leaders. I want to reiterate
that taxpayers share the same values as the Board of Education. We want to have a fiscally prudent budget that fully funds all of the items that the community believes are important. McTell has four recommendations regarding the superintendent's proposed FY 2026 operating budget as
follows. Unfunded mandates. M.c.p.s. Should be the intellectual leader in the state for pushing back on unfunded mandates. McTell urges M.c.p.s. To create a centralized repository of unfunded mandates from the state and the costs associated with them. Structure
and document savings. By seeking waivers from these state mandates as needed, community members should reach out to the Montgomery County state delegation to advocate against the increasing unfunded state mandates as it leaves local taxpayers like you and I to pay.
Instead, we should demand more local autonomy for our locally elected and appointed officials to lead our schools in a manner most conducive to our diverse student needs. Two. Zero based budgeting. All spending must be justified, not just the
incremental increase and linked to specific performance measures. Improvements. While table one is a wonderful summary of increased spending, in the case of health benefits, it fails to disclose the $400 million base for FY 2026 and
expected $460 million base for FY 2027, with no real plan to address the underlying affordability concerns, McTell recommends benchmarking and evaluating what other Maryland and Virginia school systems offer their employees retirees, to determine an affordable and
sustainable plan for future budgets. Three. Compensation costs please benchmark compensation costs with our primary economic competitor, Fairfax County Schools, and comparable school systems in the DMV. Have we overshot the mark with recent above market and
across the board pay raises? McTell recommends that pay raises should be differentiated to target low income school teachers and paraeducators because they have to work more hours, put up with more classroom distractions, and have harder time communicating with parents. Low income schools are
where retention and recruitment are vital to reducing the achievement gap. Fourth, student enrollment projections. Current trend in M.c.p.s. Has shown that the majority of new student enrollment is in middle and high school are for our emergent multilingual learners. What, if
any, contingency plan or revisions to FY 2026 proposed budget is needed to adjust to the new federal administration executive orders. State funding through Up is as of September 30th, 2025. M.c.p.s. Will also be competing with Mecca Business Learning Institute Charter
School in Germantown, Maryland, which is scheduled to open in September 2025 for grades six and seven. These external factors will have rippling implications on FY 2026 operating budget and future budgets that should be incorporated. Timely, gentle reminder to M.c.p.s budget team.
Please update community advocates on new release date for the Accessible Budget Dashboard powered by PowerBI, with drill down capabilities on major other categories within the budget, this information is critical to ensure accurate communication with key stakeholder groups throughout the community wishing to
understand where their taxpayer dollars are going, McTell looks forward to advocating at the County Council in the coming months for M.c.p.s budget priorities for FY 2026. Thank you. Thank you. Miss Morrison.
Honorable members of the Montgomery County Board of Education. My name is Pia Morris and president of SEIU local 500, representing over 20,000 workers, including the educational support staff in Montgomery County Public Schools. I come before you today
as an ally and friend of this community. I am here today to highlight some amazing progress that we see in the proposed superintendent's budget, but also to share what our members are experiencing as shortcomings in their employment with M.c.p.s. First, we are genuinely
pleased with many aspects of the superintendent's budget, particularly the steps to address the reliance on TPT employees. Instead of hiring full time support staff. This practice has been a morale killer and negatively impacts student learning outcomes. Due
to the lack of consistency, support staff being relegated to TPT for extended periods of time means fewer retirement accruals, reduced benefits, and job instability. We're also very grateful that this budget
recognizes the importance of support staff who work with students with special needs. We're pleased with the renewed emphasis on safety and security measures to protect both students and staff. With the addition of security support staff, these are amazing steps toward improving working
conditions and student learning outcomes, and we hope they contribute to achieving the vision we share for our schools. Our values are clear. Every student deserves access to high quality, fully funded public schools that support their
intellectual, emotional, and physical development. Every worker, instructional or non-instructional, is essential to students success and deserves respect, dignity, living wages and career development opportunities. Every school should be a community anchor,
providing clean, safe and fully staffed facilities alongside the wraparound services families need to thrive. However, more work remains and we urge the board to, number one, support the superintendent's proposed budget. Provide more hours for
support staff, including transportation Paraeducators building service workers and more adequate hours are critical to ensuring a living wage. Replace no work, no pay days with paid professional development days. This change would improve student outcomes
and outcomes and demonstrate demonstrate M.C.P.S. Commitment to support staff's professional development. Address staffing and workload issues, particularly in Central Office with the proposed budget cuts, so that remaining staff are not
overwhelmed and burnt out. Underfunding our schools amidst staffing shortages only deepens inequities and compromises educational quality, particularly for our most vulnerable students. We ask this board to fully fund our schools and invest in the resources needed to create an equitable
and thriving school system. Furthermore, we urge you to work with the Montgomery County Council and County Executive to ensure our students and staff have the resources necessary to maintain a top tier school system. Thank you for your time and commitment. I now cede my remaining time to Chris Cano,
our Director of Politics and Legislative Affairs. I'm Christopher Cano. I'm filling in for Sally Merrick, who's actually our Paraeducator program manager at M.C.P.S. She had a major family emergency
right before this meeting. So our prayers and thoughts go out to her family. I'm here tonight to advocate on behalf of her and the 5000 pair of educators who work at M.C.P.S. And share some of the common experiences that you all have the power to improve. Just ask any administrator or classroom teacher behind me and they'll tell you they can't operate
their school without paraeducators. They play a necessary role for students to access the curriculum at high levels and ensure physical, emotional, and social safety. And the central office knows this, understands this, and yet remains indecisive in correcting the understaffing of this vital
position. And the common retort is always it's a money issue. Well, of course it is. Our paraeducators work in some of the most physically and emotionally demanding, high stress positions in our school system, while also being paid wages that are lower than priests who take a vow of
poverty, or retail workers who can actually get more hours. How can we expect to retain qualified staff like this? Every year, there seems to arise priorities that necessitate attention, and now we face an environment where retaining qualified staff is unfeasible. M.C.P.S. No longer has a
destination or employee representation, and if we want to attract and retain qualified paraeducators, you have to pay them the benefits commensurate with top quality talent. I want to thank the superintendent for his Paraeducator reclassification being fully funded in the budget, and concluded in a timely manner. These steps will ensure a career
ladder with integrity and respect for our paraeducators, and my hope is under the new leadership of this board. They can actually have a budget where they will be respected and have dignity in their workplace. Thank you, thank you. Can the TV
play the audio from Greencastle PTA? Good evening. Members of the Board of Education, superintendent and esteemed attendees. My name is Wendy Ayala, and I'm here representing the PTA of Greencastle Elementary School, a proud title one and community school. On
behalf of our school community, we would like to express our our heartfelt gratitude to the Board of Education and Superintendent for your thoughtful and dedicated work in crafting the proposed FY 26 operating budget. Your commitment to ensuring that all students have equitable access to resources and
opportunities is deeply appreciated. As you deliberate on the allocation of funds for the upcoming fiscal year, we do want to highlight the importance of maintaining our current budget allocation as a title one in community school, we do rely heavily on the resources provided to support our students
and their families. These resources allow us to meet the unique needs of our community, providing essential academic and social emotional support that creates a pathway to success for all children. Any reduction in these already limited resources.
Would directly impact our ability to fulfill our mission of providing a quality education to every student. We also feel strongly about the initiative to add security assistance to elementary schools. Ensuring the safety of our youngest learners is not only a priority, but a
responsibility. These security assistance would provide an extra layer of protection, fostering an environment where our children can learn and grow without fear. We currently do have a security assistant who has done a marvelous job in building relationships and ensuring that our students are
safely getting to class, and that they are also safely interacting with their peers, especially during our construction when there is a lot more happening at our school. This investment in safety will bring peace of mind to our families and staff and reinforce the trust our community places
in the schools. We urge you to continue advocating for equitable funding that upholds the needs of title one and community schools like ours by maintaining our current allocation and supporting initiatives like increased security measures, we can ensure that every child in Montgomery County has the opportunity to thrive in a safe and nurturing,
nurturing environment. Thank you for your time, consideration, and dedication to our children's future. Okay, thank you. That finished the portion for organizations. I'm going to turn to my colleagues for comments and questions before I do that.
Doctor Taylor, would you like to introduce some of the staff present tonight? I'll do one better than that. I'll have them introduce themselves because I can't even see over the edge there. I think that might be our CFO, but go ahead and introduce yourselves. We have our budget
and finance team here tonight. Good evening everyone. Yvonne Alfonso Windsor Chief Financial Officer Hi, everybody. Rob Reilly Deputy Chief of Finance Good evening, Tom Klausing from the Office of Finance. Okay. We
have various other members of our team that are in the audience this evening here to support. Thank you. I'm going to turn to my colleagues for comments or questions. I'm going to start with one questions first round. I'm going to start from my left hand side. I'm
going to see if you have a question. Turn your light on seeing none I'm going to turn to my right side. Miss Stewart, I have one question because I have never heard of this before. So I
wanted to ask about the no work, no pay days. How many of those exist? And this is for the. SEIU point they brought up, and how
much would it take to make at least one of them? A paid development day? Thank you. I have a request. There is an app mentioned by a testimony that
says, here comes the bus. I want staff to be able to provide us some information on what are some options out there for bus transportation tracking. Thank you. Any other questions from board members? Miss Montoya? And
we mentioned this, I think at the last one of the last work sessions, but I know that some of you may not have been here. The issue of the food situation with cryo is something that we did bring up. We did discuss, we did ask about. So I just wanted to make sure that everyone in the audience and everyone
watching today, and everyone who came in to testify and to speak on behalf of all the individuals and the staff that worked so hard to put that program up. We are aware of the issue, we're paying attention, and we're trying to get the information to make sure that doesn't happen again. Thank you. All right. So we are going seeing no other lights. I'm going to go to the
next section of tonight's public testimony is going to the clusters. I'm going to call the first six to come forward. MCPs PTA president, Clarksburg Cluster, Walter Johnson Cluster,
Whitman Cluster, Gaithersburg Cluster, and Quince Orchard cluster.
Miss out. You may begin. Good evening, Superintendent Taylor, president Yang and members of the Board of Education. My name is Bridget Howe, and I'm speaking tonight as MCPs PTA president, as parent of an Odessa Shannon Middle School student and future Northwood Gladiator, and as an M.C.P.S.
Alum from Watkins Mill High School. Thank you for offering the opportunity for Montgomery County residents to advocate for their passionate beliefs about the needs of student families, students, families, and staff in our system. Looking around this room, I see democracy in action.
We are a better county, state and country when truth can be spoken to. Power. As you know, MCPs, PTA is the largest parents association in the state with nearly 200 member PTAs and pizzas. Last week you heard from about half of our cluster coordinators and committee
chairs. Tonight you'll hear from the rest because our cluster representatives and committees will do an amazing job. I'm going to limit myself to some overarching themes that we see in our cluster testimony. And from our operating budget work session in early January. These also reflect the thoroughly considered advocacy priorities
that our Delegates Assembly passed in November. Our advocacy priorities address a need to rebuild trust and accountability in the school system. We also appreciate the stated approach of the superintendent that equity is embedded in this budget and enacted in the spreadsheets, but we need to see what that looks like in plain
language, in dollars and cents. MCPs PTA members care deeply that students learn and right sized classrooms where they can learn appropriately. This means we need to ensure staffing is at the right level and increase special, special education, ESL and Paraeducator staffing MCPs
PTA also supports returning class sizes to the 2324 levels. We also believe that we can't thrive as a school system unless we acknowledge the true gaps in access to programs and experiences in our schools, and invest in closing those gaps. We can't address those gaps in
achievement. If students in some of our schools, often those that are higher farms and home to more black and brown students, don't even have the chance to take the same classes as students in other schools. Another overarching priority, and one that is instinctive for every parent or guardian, is our
membership's demand for schools that are safe for our children. Physical safety is often the first thought when you discuss safety, and this can only happen if we continue investment in additional security personnel and evidence informed solutions for safety. But emotional safety and belonging are important as
well, and can be addressed by investment in anti-racist resources at the system and school levels to recognize and respond to hate bias, bullying, harassment and discrimination, and help staff and families recognize those harmful behaviors. We need our children to learn cohesively, and this
includes needed investment in high quality curricula that reflects all students. That investment must be amplified by ensuring our hard working staff are able to access all the resources they need to master the curricula and best teach it to our kids as engaged
participants in the improvement of our schools, MCPs, PTA, and many of our counterpart parent organizations and staffing organizations truly desire investment in improved communications and data sharing. We've seen positive movement in that direction with School Profiles dashboard. Early snow
closure memo memos. Thank you for those clarity around the budget and the growing willingness of M.C.P.S. Officials to acknowledge when things go wrong, keep that going, but also do more disguising issues, does not address them or solve them. And in the absence of authentic
community engagement and trustworthy factual information sharing, the resulting community narrative about M.C.P.S. May be unflattering and inaccurate. At the end of the day, the success of M.C.P.S. Is a vital ingredient into the success of our entire county. You're the
second largest employer in the county, second only to the federal government. You educate 160,000 of the county's million plus population every single day. Your busses drive on pretty much every road in the county, and your graduates are in
positions of influence and responsibility in all of our communities. M.C.P.S. Reputation and achievement are key to improving the county's currently faltering economic development. Your educational outcomes are key to increasing residents achievement and income, thus
increasing our tax base. We all need to be moving in the same direction to ensure not only our student success, but also our county's future. Thank you. Next
is Miss Dull. Good evening everyone. I'm Audra Dove, one of three Clarksburg Cluster coordinators in collaboration with Varanasi and Teddy Wu. I'm here to testify on behalf of our cluster schools. We'd like to thank Superintendent Thomas for providing additional
transparency around the operating budget this year. We hope the superintendent and the BOE are committed to increasing transparency and timely publication of myriad data and resources M.C.P.S. Gathers and uses to educate and support our students as we look forward to funding fiscal year 26. The
Clarksburg Cluster appreciates the superintendent's candor about the state of our district. Our testimony focuses on four key areas of the proposed budget facilities equity, add ons, staffing, and professional development. Facilities are fundamental. The cafeteria temperature in one of our
schools this winter struggles to reach 60 degrees. A chorus room continues to have no heat despite fixes to the HVAC system. A seemingly simple request to relocate a hallway camera from one area to another for safety reasons is evidently not so simple. Our facilities need more attention, and the
pace at which work orders are completed needs to quicken. We support the addition of 22 FTEs to the facilities team, to address major maintenance and to improve the rate and effectiveness of work order completion. Equity add ons are a welcome addition. The allocation of add ons based on student
services at each local school distributes resources more equitably. We remind M.C.P.S. That the need for farms at any given school may actually exceed reported farms. In addition, student service allocation too often trails behind actual student service needs and does
not account for mid-year increases. Staffing impacts everything. We commend our cluster schools for the tremendous flexibility, creativity, and compassion they bring each day to support students despite limited resources. But the truth is,
inadequate staffing puts a strain on every child and directly impacts the ability of schools to consistently meet student accommodations, provide support services, ensure the well-being of students, and differentiate learning to ensure all means all additional
resources are needed to support the well-being being of our students, so they can effectively engage in learning more. Paraeducators are needed to support our special education students and their compensation needs to improve. Many of our
elementary classrooms saw an increase in the number of students who required special services, but who were not previously identified. One of our middle schools gave an example of a math class that has 32 students, 12 of whom have IEPs. There simply isn't enough
staff to meet student academic needs and accommodations in classrooms. This large class sizes continue to be an issue that negatively impact learning in our county. We applaud additional funding to support special education and emergent multilingual learners. We ask
M.c.p.s. To make provisions for mid-year staffing allocations to adequately address ongoing increases in the need for student services. If staff are the engine, professional development is the fuel key to successful curricula, program or
service implementation is highly trained staff M.c.p.s desperately needs year round, high quality professional development for teachers and support staff. M.c.p.s must ensure that time and resources are allocated for staff participation in ongoing professional development that
supports student achievement and well-being. We support the implementation of cross-functional teams that proactively engage, support and trained staff in each school to optimize instructional and program effectiveness in each cluster. However, we strongly
encourage we strongly encourage this board to insist that M.c.p.s put forth a comprehensive plan for how these teams will better serve our students and how they will be
trained, and how they will be held accountable. In closing, we urge the board to support full funding of the proposed budget with the expectation that you will dig deep to understand how M.c.p.s will measure equitable access, implementation, fidelity and ongoing support of the
curricular programs and services it provides. Thank you for your commitment to M.c.p.s students. Thank you, Mr. Finneran, Board President, Yang members of the board. Doctor Taylor, my name is
Joseph Finneran and I am testifying on behalf of the Walter Johnson Cluster of PTAs. The Walter Johnson Cluster supports the superintendent's proposed budget, and we are grateful to Doctor Taylor for continuing to prioritize investment in our county schools. On behalf of my fellow
cluster coordinators and the members of the Walter Johnson School community who have joined us this evening, we appreciate this opportunity to provide feedback about the most pressing needs that our nine schools are facing. This team has testified for many years that Walter Johnson High School is severely
overcapacity. We're optimistic that the Woodward reopening will finally address this problem. But the reality is that throughout the county, and particularly within the WJ cluster, we have many huge schools, Ashburton and Farmland elementary schools are severely
overcapacity and the capital resources aren't available to quickly address their needs through facility expansion, nor will they be addressed in the boundary study. While we wait for the Woodward reopening and for future capital funding to address our schools overcrowding, Walter Johnson
cluster students under stress due to these overcapacity issues must be provided all we can on the operating side of the ledger to ensure that our students remain safe, supported and well educated. Meeting our students needs in these times ultimately
comes down to staffing. Having enough adults with the appropriate skills and expertise consistently present where they are most needed. This is first and foremost a budget issue, and we again applaud Doctor Taylor for addressing this in a meaningful way in his proposed
budget. Our priority areas of budget concern are as follows. First, the allocation of additional staff. We fully support Superintendent Taylor's request for 500 additional paraeducators, including the reclassification of these positions, converting existing part time positions to full
time, increasing pay funding, appropriate training, and creating greater opportunities for professional development. These are necessary investments to improve the recruitment, retention, and performance of these critical staff. Virtually every virtually every WJ cluster school needs additional special
education support, such as speech therapists who are in short supply andmany cases will need to be incentivized to move into the county. As the superintendent has said, this planned hiring is to meet current staffing guidelines and provide the services required to
meet to provide the service required to meet the educational needs under Students Individualized Education Plans, senior M.c.p.s staff openly acknowledge that they cannot provide the number of special educators required to meet current IEP needs, not close.
The problem is particularly serious at the elementary level. Some positions have remained unfilled all school year, and students are missing the services they both need and are legally due. These are some of our most vulnerable students at a key stage of their development, and M.c.p.s. Is
simply letting them down. Please also support smart data driven school psychologist allocation, the board's own policy on social, emotional and mental health programing and services for students, amended in April of last year, requires ongoing board review of the capacity of
these services to all schools and requires the board to determine the funding necessary and available to promote equitable and effective staffing informed by national best practices. In its best practice model, the National Association of School Psychologists recommends that such analysis
include both a comprehensive needs assessment and detailed resource mapping. We ask that the board and M.c.p.s. Ensure the data it is using to assess needs and allocate these critical resources is current and regularly updated. M.C.P.S.
Must also focus on enhanced and expanded recruitment and retention, to say that the market for these trained special educators is competitive would be an understatement. There are many ways in which M.c.p.s. Can enhance its recruitment efforts, and we strongly urge that while you can't fill this volume of
new hires with paid recruiters, you consider funding a temporary HR recruiting consultant to guide the development of an enhanced and expanded recruiting process. School safety running a running large, and in many cases, overcapacity. Schools require sufficient school
security personnel and in advance of reopening the Woodward High School, Walter Johnson remains significantly over capacity, even at capacity. The large campus requires additional security manpower. Our final area for board and M.C.P.S. Focus is class size. Doctor Taylor has compared his
proposed operating budget to eating our vegetables. Last June's class size increases were some of the driest and most bitter vegetables we've ever had to eat. As parent volunteers, we don't have the resources to do a detailed impact analysis, but based on the anecdotal evidence from WJ families, there were
impacts and none of them were positive. In summary, the WJ cluster is pleased to support the superintendent's budget and we appreciate M.C.P.S. And the board's serious considerations of the priorities we've outlined today. Thank you. Thank you.
Miss Bauer. Go ahead. Good evening, Superintendent Taylor, board president Yang and members of the Board of Education. My name is Margaret Mauer, and I am in year 14 of the 19 years I will spend here in M.C.P.S. I have a student at Pyle, a student at Whitman, and a recent
graduate in college. I, along with my fellow coordinators, Katie Blatt and Eric Delgado, represent the students and families of the Walt Whitman Cluster. Thank you for having us here tonight. We appreciate that community members and students are provided the opportunity to
testify on the operating budget of the school system we all participate in. As I sat here tonight and have listened to people speak, I've realized there's a common but unspoken thread in all of the testimony time. It's not a word that we've
said. We've talked about staffing, we've talked about resources, but we haven't spoken about time. I ask that you consider that word as we listen to the rest of tonight's testimony. As you review testimony from previous evenings and in the decision making
process for the operating budget, the Whitman Cluster supports Doctor Taylor's approach to the operating budget, and we agree with his intention to focus on the fundamentals to stabilize our financial position and prioritize resources for student
learning and school support. We support his commitment to ensuring that all students receive the services and supports necessary for success. We ask that the Board of Education support his request with an emphasis on the following not just because they help the needs of our schools in
the Whitman Cluster, but because they address the needs of all schools and students in M.C.P.S. Special education. We know that M.c.p.s needs appropriate staffing in special education to meet our current guidelines and
build a ramp for future growth. I have had two students in special education and the deaf and hard of hearing program, and while we have been fortunate to have the resources we need, we know that not every student has that access. Doctor Taylor's request to add 688 positions as
teachers and paraeducators will help begin to address the shortfalls that we have. Reallocating paraeducator positions from temporary part time to full time will promote stability for our staff, our schools, and our students.
Stability that we need emergent multilingual learners. We also support his commitment to this growing population by adding 47 positions to support the needs of these students. These staff will ensure that their their success as students, allowing
them the access to our curriculum in the way that works for them. Smaller class sizes across the board, the use of guidelines for determining class size needs to be reevaluated. Smaller class sizes in both elementary and secondary schools
will promote good teaching and learning. We know that Doctor Taylor d not address smaller staff sizes, class sizes in his operating budget, and we support his thinking that we need standards, not just guidelines, but we ask that the Board of Education strongly consider
addressing class size and class sizes now and not pushing it further down the road. We recognize that this is a big ask, and that means that another request might not be approved. But making hard decisions is your responsibility. If smaller
class sizes are not a possibility, then we definitely urge you to consider and address the dire staffing needs for special education and emergent multilingual learners. By increasing staffing in these areas, it will help M.C.P.S. Improve education and learning
for all students in the Whitman Cluster. We have a few specific needs, and we ask the Board of Ed to take these asks into consideration. Wood Acres Elementary has over 600 students and their enrollment is growing daily, yet they have one school
counselor, the American School Counselor School Counselor Association recommends a 250 to 1 student to counselor ratio, and Wood Acres is two and a half times over. That recommendation. We ask that you consider
increasing the counseling staff at Wood Acres, but also at other elementary schools in the county. We burning tree needs additional counseling time, and an assistant school administrator and M.C.P.S. Asks that nothing happened to their
social worker. As I said time. Think about the time that we need to address the needs of our students. Time is staff and we don't have the appropriate staffing to meet the needs of our students right now. Thank
you. Thank you. Miss Zink Group. Good morning. Board of Ed or good morning. Good evening. Board of Ed members. And Doctor Taylor. I am filling in this
evening for the cluster coordinators for Gaithersburg Cluster, Leah Chase and Lisa Satterlee. Just so you know, though, I am a Gaithersburg cluster parent, I have been a parent in that cluster for 15 years. I think it's going to be 17 total for me. So let me begin
as I testify on behalf of the Gaithersburg cluster, which includes Gaithersburg High School, Gaithersburg Middle School, Forest Oak Middle School, Goshen Elementary School, Rosemont Elementary, Summit Hall Elementary, Harriet Tubman Elementary, Gaithersburg Elementary, Strawberry
Elementary, Washington Grove Elementary, and lastly Laytonsville Elementary School, which also articulates to the Damascus Cluster. Across the cluster, our needs fall under school based staffing and support and operations. We are in desperate need of additional
staff, including teachers, paraeducators and security assistants. We also have needs under safety and Ada compliance. We ask the Board of Ed to please consider the following examples for the fiscal year 26 M.C.P.S. Operating budget at Gaithersburg
Middle School. The need is the AML supporting support, including Paraeducators, to better meet the needs of our multilingual learners, we recommend staffing at least three assistant principals to each middle school in our cluster. Given the size of our student populations and the
number of incidents we manage at JMS, specifically, the bridge program, which supports highly impact special education students would benefit significantly from its own dedicated wing and additional resources tailored to the populations unique needs,
ensuring at least three full time security assistants at each middle school would greatly enhance safety across the campuses. At Laytonsville Elementary School, Less hosts a school community based SIB learning center for students
with who use wheelchairs and other adaptive equipment or accessibility devices. Emergency exits do not have ramps to allow for safe access to and from the school buildings. Ramps are required to enable students and staff to navigate near the exit
safely. In an emergency. I want to quickly sidebar I believe this has been on because I've been cluster coordinator for over five years. I don't know why it's taking that long, but I feel like I should just stop and just share that that that request for that school has been on a really long time, and I
feel like that should maybe be noted. I will continue under Laytonsville Elementary School with staffing and support requests. Currently, there is no staffing for the compacted math courses at Strawberry Elementary School. Under some safety issues. A request for a walkway.
Currently, families are crossing a large parking lot to access the school and it's causing safety issues and confusion. An idea shared is considering some kind of walkway to help students and families cross the parking lot and cross. Instead of crossing through the parking lot. Also, safety concerns
regarding access to the playground at Strawberry Elementary School for the pre-K and the autistic students at that school at Harriet Tubman Elementary School, there are safety concerns regarding exterior access to the school that need to be looked into. We
appreciate your consideration and look forward to our concerns being addressed in this fiscal year 26 operating budget. Thank you, Miss Kerry. I'm so happy we're not morning yet. And also, can you do me a favor? Can you
leave your testimony with our staff because I don't see it uploaded online? Okay. Yeah. Thank you so much. We're going to go to Quince Orchard High School. Miss Fitz. Good evening. My name is Stephanie Fitz, and
I'm the show cluster coordinator. The bulk of my testimony tonight can be summed up as. Please, we need smaller class sizes. Now. I could almost walk away. We would like M.C.P.S. To return to the 2023 2024 guidelines. Imperfect as
they were, as I heard Doctor Taylor say in the past, we should not let the perfect be the enemy of the good. I ask now for the good of undoing last minute class size increase, and stated in response to prior budget shortfalls. As other MCPs PTA representatives have said,
we support M.C.P.S. Work determining better class size, guidance and standards for future years, but we need to return to 2023 2024 guidelines as we wait for the work to be done. Kids don't have time for that word. We don't have time
for kids to be in humongous class sizes. We need to fix that now. I know this has been brought up many times already, so I'm going to try to come at it in a slightly different manner. Late last spring, after the class size increase had been announced, I sent around my usual email to PTAs asking for
their capital improvement plan concerns so I could submit my cluster comments by the June deadline. Usually, this request is a bit like pulling teeth, since PTAs. This time they're winding down. This year was different, although in my email I spelled out what types of requests fell under capital improvement. PTAs quickly
responded with their concerns about class size, increase in the need to provide more funding for teachers. The strength of the concern was so high that even after I reiterated, the CIP funding stream differed from the operating budget, funding stream, one PTA decided not to
provide any CIP concerns because they were worried CIP improvements would reduce the chance of reversing the class size increase, and they were uncomfortable asking for any CIP needs at a time when class sizes were being increased. For parents in my cluster, the
return to 2023 2024 class size guidelines is a veggie that must be eaten. Now, while I'm unsure of how to best express this next concern around not including a return to 2023 2024 class size guidelines, I'm going to give it a shot. As you all are aware,
Montgomery County is now considering the M.C.P.S. Proposed CIP budget. And so at the same time, I am reaching out here via testimony to you about the need to include reduced class size. I am also reaching out to my cluster about how they can advocate to Montgomery
County to fully fund the CIP. My concern is that more parents than I know of may believe that if they advocate for Montgomery County to fully fund the CIP, they are working against their concern about class size reduction, especially as class size reduction is not included in this operating budget at a
time when funds are tight and m.c.p.s. Needs Montgomery County to step it up, it is imperative that parents feel passionate about supporting MPAC funding, and I know when parents in my class, what I know is parents in my cluster care about smaller
classes. When it comes time for parents in my cluster to advocate for Montgomery County to fully fund the proposed operating budget, we need it to be a budget that parents can approve, adding the return to 2023 2024 class size guidelines can only help get parents
excited to support this budget, not including class size inversely makes parents feel very unheard. Okay, in my time remaining, I want to make a plea for M.c.p.s. As a whole, including principals and administrators, to strive toward
using plain language in their communication. This costs nothing. Additionally, I request that M.c.p.s. Work to come up with constructive, friendly methods by which M.c.p.s and all administrators, including principals, can check for understanding in their parent
communities. There needs to be a way to validate that parents are understanding the communication that M.c.p.s. And their administrators send beyond waiting for unsolicited responses of confusion. If M.c.p.s. And administrators could check for understanding, they could more easily avoid
misunderstanding and frustrations. As I conclude my many years as a M.C.P.S. Parent, I have realized more of my volunteer hours have been spent translating M.c.p.s speak into plain language than in any other official volunteer task. I have done many PTAs in my cluster
struggle to find volunteers to fill vacant slots, meaning that parents may be at schools with minimal PTA presence. This makes it all the more important for M.C.P.S. And administrators to try and communicate in a manner that ensures understanding in their communities. And to do
this, m.c.p.s. Needs to discover when these communities have not understood, so they can improve communication in their future. Off the cuff, I can see how teachers do it in classrooms. Check for understanding. I beg of m.c.p.s. To all of you, check
for understanding. Otherwise, miscommunications and frustrations exist. Thank you very much. Thank you so much. I'm going to call the last six clusters to proceed to the table. Kennedy Cluster
Curriculum Committee, Special Education committee. Wheaton Cluster School Climate and Safety Committee, and Northwest
Cluster. All right. So let's start first from Miss Pawlak. Good evening,
Doctor Taylor, president Yang. Sorry about that. Good evening, Doctor Taylor, president Yang. And members of the board, both old and new. Thank you for listening to the many needs of our M.C.P.S. Community tonight. Your role often involves hearing
multitudes of concerns, but I'm here to express gratitude for your willingness to listen and to act. I want to take a few seconds to recognize the feelings of frustration, anger, fear, helplessness at what
happened at Kennedy this past week and for all the students who have to deal with these feelings daily, the students and staff at Kennedy High School serve as a canary in the coal mine for M.C.P.S. In the county. The challenges they face are not
unique, and they are likely to become more visible across the county if left unaddressed. Let's examine what this canary needs not only to benefit the Kennedy students, but to establish a model for schools countywide. Last spring, Kennedy
PTSA hosted a meeting following a troubling incident where a student from another school brought a knife and threatened to harm a Kennedy student. At that time, Kennedy faced serious series of crises student deaths, overdose, chronic absenteeism, students leaving campus without
permission, drug sales inside and outside the school building, behavior issues that drew negative press to both the school and the Wheaton Glenmont community. At this meeting, stakeholders at this meeting, stakeholders, including many of
you, listened as students expressed feelings of feeling unsafe and voiced their frustration about Kennedy's challenges overshadowing its many positive aspects. From this gathering, a safety and security team of diverse stakeholders was formed, meeting monthly to
tackle these issues. A major outcome was the safety audit, part of a larger initiative affecting all M.c.p.s. High schools. At least that's what was said in that meeting. The audit revealed that Kennedy's capital and operating needs are deeply connected to the county
budget and broader Wheaton Glenmont issues. Addressing these issues requires genuine community engagement, effective communication, communication tools, and meeting people where they are. I want to encourage you to read the other pieces of
Rickey's testimony, because there are a lot of community members that are engaged in the success of Kennedy, including my own neighborhood community as well. The needs that I'm sharing following now are the needs
across our cluster functional sound equipment, Glen Allen, Odessa Shannon even though it's brand new and Kennedy lack adequate sound systems, principals have emphasized the need for functional mobile sound systems. Even something as
simple as a karaoke speaker with a microphone could significantly improve that situation. Live translation headsets. Some principals in the cluster have purchased live translation headsets out of necessity. Because MCPs only offers these
devices for rent, these headsets are crucial for fostering effective communication within the family with families during academic discussions and building meaningful relationships. Every school should have access to these tools. Safety enhancements I
echo all of the people that have come before me. Smaller class size sizes and increased staffing for paraeducators. Reducing class sizes improves learning environments and helps manage behavior. Some schools
have created small pockets of time in the schedule to address specific learning needs, but this is not enough for the needs of our students. Glen Allen Elementary relies heavily on its paraeducators in the younger grades to maintain functionality
and support, yet the older students often lack what these paraeducators need give in their additional support. Paraeducators are vital for assisting students with special learning and behavioral needs. As more students are identified
these challenges, the demand for Paraeducators continues to grow. I'm requesting card scanners. Card scanners could enhance the safety and attendance and tracking at Kennedy and schools like our our Glen Ellen, Arcola
and Odessa are thoughtfully designed, whereas with safety in mind, whereas Kennedy operates in a building not desired, designed to address the modern security needs. I'm asking for an updated memorandum of understanding between M.C.P.S.
And Montgomery County Police, ensuring transparency and collaboration. Lives have already been lost and meaningful change is overdue. The last thing security officers and training for safety issues, psychological first aid and I
appreciate the equity add ons in the operating budget this year. Thank you. Particularly those addressing the special education needs. Thank you so much. I'm going to ask Miss Kelly. Go ahead. Okay. Good evening. Members of the Board of
Education and Doctor Taylor. My name is Reagan Kelly. And I'm speaking as chair of the curriculum committee for the MCPs PTA. I'm also an M.C.P.S. Parent and an educator myself with a background in literacy and district academic strategy. We know from research that curriculum has a direct impact on student engagement and achievement. High quality
curriculum improves student outcomes as much as having a better teacher. Moreover, curriculum is an equity solution. It ensures every student, regardless of teacher or school, has access to the same grade level content. The text, the tasks, the assessments. However, curriculum is just the floor. It levels the
playing field. It is not the ceiling and it's how it's used. If it's used and that the support teachers receive that makes a difference. Tonight I'd like to address two critical aspects of curriculum and its implementation. First, the importance of high quality, externally vetted materials across all subject areas,
especially at the secondary level. M.c.p.s has wisely invested in rigorous core curricula for math K-8 and Ela K-5, and it's paying off. Programs like amplify CLA are helping students leave elementary school with deep knowledge of science, history, art, and literature. Parents constantly approach me to tell
me how much their children are learning. It has been a game changer. However, secondary subjects like Ela, social studies, foreign languages and science are in desperate need of attention. Students in many secondary classes have no textbooks and nothing to reference when they go home to study. They are studying from 70
Google Slides, which is absurd. It's certainly not preparation for college in the budget. These secondary subjects are mostly relegated to open source materials. This is a viable choice as open source materials are often strong and externally vetted. However, they are rarely
free. In addition to printing costs, there's the cost of purchasing readers or books or materials for hands on science work in secondary Ela of the currently free open source materials, only 1 or 2 provide comprehensive curricular materials for download. Others are mostly free but not the assessments. Mostly free, but
not the support for English language learners. It is critical that the district go into this sort of strategy with eyes wide open to the costs and the cost benefit of open source curriculum. I'll repeat a concern I brought to this board before about the homemade curriculum being used today in high school. Ela. It is unvetted
and the rigor is uneven at best. Some texts included are also included in the fourth grade amplify curriculum. 10th graders reading texts in a fourth grade classroom. This should raise serious alarms for everyone here today. I beg you to consider externally vetted, expertly created materials for high
schools that our students can compete in college and career. Second, the need for budget to provide robust support and accountability to ensure effective curriculum implementation curriculums impact depends on how teachers use it. Owning the best treadmill won't improve my fitness if I use it as a coat
rack, and if I only ever walk on it, I'll never reach my potential as a runner. Similarly, effective curriculum implementation requires a combination of change management, skill building, and knowledge building, and it's not a one year endeavor. M.c.p.s has taken strides to build in strategic support and accountability for the use of
amplify. CLA, and I urge MCPs to continue funding for teacher development, including this summer, to use CLA and to invest in systematic leader development so principals and others along the vertical spine of the district are equipped to support teachers and students in literacy improvement. We need the same commit you've made
to K-5 Ela for secondary subjects where accountability and support have frankly been much weaker. One of the easiest ways to build accountability is by combining it with meaningful support. Teachers and leaders need direct support in how to use the strong curriculum M.c.p.s has, and hopefully will invest in to meet their students
needs without modifying the rigor or succumbing to the soft bigotry of low expectations. Traditional PD, a seminar or workshop, isolated experiences rarely changes teacher performance nor impacts student outcomes. However, when teachers participate in job embedded,
curriculum based professional learning, students test scores improve by 9% of a standard deviation about the same effect caused by replacing an average teacher with a top performer or reducing class size by 15%. I
implore M.c.p.s to dedicate time, resources and personnel to support teachers, department chairs, and school leaders in using the curriculum you're investing in effectively. Lastly, I would be remiss if I didn't sit before this board and address a structural challenge the mid-year switching of teachers in year long high
school courses. This practice undermines the coherence of both curriculum and professional learning. If the concern is uneven teacher quality, the solution isn't switching teachers. It's making all teachers stronger through high quality, curriculum aligned professional learning and accountability. Never mind that
I can't imagine why anyone would choose to rerun a master schedule twice in one school year. It's absurd. In closing these investments, curriculum curriculum face professional learning, accountability. These are the foundation of equity and excellence that is so critical to our mission in this district. Our students deserve the floor
of rigorous, rigorous, grade level content, and teachers deserve the professional development and support to develop all students. I urge the board to prioritize these investments. Thank you. Thank you. Mr. Cordell. Dear members of the Board of Education and
Superintendent Doctor Taylor, my name is Michael Cordell, a parent of a ninth grade student at Churchill and proud parent of alum from WJ. In December, I became the chair of the Special Education Committee for the Montgomery County Council of PTAs. Short period of time, I've been impressed by my fellow
leaders and also by the openness to identify the shortcomings in previous budgets from the leaders of Montgomery County Public Schools. In my brief meetings with them, my research shows that, as many know, the voice of few families can paint a picture for the larger population. I want to get a larger perspective, and
definitely of a diverse perspective on how special education programing is impacting students and families. It is always a possibility that families who are fortunate enough to have advocates make their opinions known, or families able to navigate the Byzantine system of support and documents that seem to be
intentionally obtuse get the resources they need, but has also been clear from my initial research that the county has failed to deliver on its promise to serve all special education students, no matter class, race or location and equitable manner. But I am eager to talk about why there might be hope in the future moving forward.
First, I would like to extend my heartfelt appreciation to the superintendent for the bold and thoughtful decision to increase the number of special education positions, adding 688 positions is a tremendous commitment to improving the quality of education for students with disabilities. This decision
reflects a strong understanding of the challenges families face this year and in recent years, where there are so many students not able to receive the services in their IEPs and where schools in the county were not delivering on the promises to provide a fair and equitable education in the least restrictive setting to these
students. Superintendent Taylor speaks with conviction that these positions are needed to ensure all requirements are met. And also, he says, this is only a floor for the vision for special education. I am confident that these new positions will have an immediate and positive impact on our
students and their educational experience throughout the county. In preparation for this testimony, I looked at previous years budgets. I was surprised that there had not been any mention of increases needed for special education. As I've heard and talked to others to learn that there has been an increase
in the number of students with autism in the county, and also that there has been an increase in the number of students with special needs in a less restrictive setting in our elementary schools. As changes from the Maryland State Blueprint Initiative, I am hopeful because Doctor Taylor made immediate changes to
staffing structures to ensure financial projection quality dramatically increased. According to him, it must be known by you, everyone, what students we are serving, where they are, how many students have the highest needs? Otherwise, a lack of foresight based on all
the environmental factors that school systems will face will be dramatically. Our teachers in the classroom will dramatically feel the pain, and it trickles over to negatively impact the entire school population. Furthermore, I still have a flier in my email dated July
31st, 2024 recruiting teachers and paraeducators to work in M.C.P.S. Autism classrooms, hiring at the last minute for autism classrooms we know will only lead to more students not getting what they need. For a year, there were 150 peer educator vacancies and 50
teacher vacancies. To start the school year. It is essential to note that these were still not even enough staff to serve our kids. As of January 11th, there were still 20 vacancies. It cannot be said loud enough that the 688 new positions is not
inherited cut, but is still not actually enough to meet the best practice guidelines to learn to serve some of our student populations. While the 68 positions is important to step right in direction, we must also ensure that staff members are successful in their role. I urge the board to prioritize supporting the new
organizational chart. As a former chief academic officer in a district, yet only had 707 students, I know I did not always advocate enough for my special education director's needs, because I am negotiating and thinking about the entire teaching and learning population, elevating the role
of special education programing in the county and superintendents chiefs level is a must. As someone who runs a program supporting low incidence special education students and a parent of a daughter who attended the Ivy Mount School, I know that Paraeducators can actually make a major
difference, and a larger difference than sometimes teachers. The recognition recognition of this need by Doctor Taylor and the team is another positive indicator that we're moving in the right direction. The board should supp the restructuring and pay for all peer educators in this county. As we expand
special education workforce, it is essential that these new staff members receive targeted training on the best practices. Last, please make sure it is essential that we continue to build inclusive programs where students with disabilities can participate alongside their peers. Make sure we have enough
support staff and prioritize the lack of the overcrowding of case management by our SLPs and other related service providers. Related service providers can be your best professional development experts in school.
Thank you, Mr. Cordell. Miss Johnson. Yes. Good evening, Miss Yang, members of the board and Doctor Taylor. My name is Nerissa Johnson, and I'm the cluster coordinator for the Wheaton area. I've been an M.C.P.S. Parent for 17 years now. Eight more to go. I'd like
to start off by thanking Doctor Taylor for making his operating budget presentation a more user friendly and approachable experience, being honest about the state of the school system and being transparent with information is a crucial step by M.C.P.S. In reestablishing the trust that many of us have felt
has been lacking over for over a number of years now. But please note that there's always room for more improvement. Stakeholders should be able to more easily follow the paper trail for each line item in the budget to understand where the money goes, and also what it's really used for. Yes, death by
spreadsheets. It's a big ask, but this is what true transparency looks like. My testimony today is fairly simple and emphasizes that we should be funding the basics for everyone's benefit, with the word everyone being its own complete sentence. Number one,
if M.c.p.s wants to produce graduates that are highly skilled, give each school what it needs to be successful. Make necessary smart and strategic investments in the appropriate buckets, especially staffing, curriculum and textbooks. Please for each school and please do
the math right the first time around, we support the proposal to fund additional Paras, special Eds and M.L. Positions. These are all crucial support staff positions, and without them, a school cannott be truly functional and effective. This is not rocket science. We need
these positions. We are encouraged by plans to better support schools through the creation of cross-functional leadership teams. Use this new support structure to really learn about each class's needs. Many families feel that Central Office don't know and understand their population. How can you
effectively help our families if you don't understand them in the first place? Under this topic, we urge M.c.p.s to do a better job of accurately calculating and explaining what it costs to educate a student. Include everything, even graduation costs and senior fees, which
students should not be paying for. Don't forget to include other stakeholders for input. PTA leaders, for example, can guide you based on what staff are asking for help with when they apply for mini grants from PTAs. And don't forget about our
title one schools. Ill winds are blowing and they need our support. Number two please return class sizes to the 2324 level. Teachers cannot effectively teach when classes are too big. It's almost impossible for them to differentiate their instruction, and classroom management is an
unattainable goal. If you don't believe me, please take the time to visit an elementary school and I challenge each and every one of you to try and teach a fifth grade class. Multiple studies demonstrate that smaller class sizes result in higher achievement, and here we are going in the opposite direction.
If improving academic performance for all of our students is truly a priority for M.c.p.s. Please maintain reasonable class sizes. Point number three. My favorite, the elephant in the room known as the maintenance budget. It must be fully funded. I'm concerned
that the attitude of kicking the can down the road in the past has resulted in a situation where all these maintenance issues may never really be resolved, because there either isn't any enough, isn't enough money to do so, or we lack the manpower. Allow me to read you a quote from one of the middle
schools in my cluster to make my point. Quote. We have a few stairwells that with stair treads that are in major disrepair. I advocated for them to be repaired back in 2021 and was told they would all be done. The crew that came out repaired only certain stairwells and told me they'll come back. Well, that
was four years ago and they never went back. Our building services team literally has to put duct tape on the edges of the stairs to avoid tripping hazards. I've shown the stairs to every central office person who has visited the building over the last few years, and that hasn't yielded the desired
outcome. Does it seem too small to advocate for something like that? Honestly, it is a safety hazard and downright unattractive. Our students deserve better, for sure. In summary, because five minutes isn't enough time, I would have liked to talk more about broccoli. I would like to
emphasize that the operating budget priorities should be making should be in making appropriate investments in areas that will further strengthen the foundation of our school system, be guided by the fact that job number one for M.c.p.s. Is to make sure that our children know how to read, write, speak and
listen, can do math, and possess critical thinking as well as logic and reasoning skills. By the time they leave high schools, skills which will be especially crucial over the next four years, and skills that employers look for in potential employees, focus on the basics and strategically invest in
areas that will really help our students shine. Remember, everything is for the students. Thank you for the opportunity to speak. Thank you. Canada. MCPs
TV play the video from northwest Cluster. Good evening. Members of the board and the committee members. I am Karina Carlton, the cluster coordinator for northwest. The Northwest Cluster, and I wanted to share this with you as a cluster
coordinator for the area. Also give a slightly different perspective on the proposed 2026 operating budget and its impact on schools within our cluster, and we really appreciate the thought and effort invested in this proposal, especially during
challenging times of education. So one of the benefits that I see is that these investments will support critical needs, including staff compensation, benefits and programs and expansions that directly impact our students and their success.
All right. In a cluster as diverse as ours, we know that these resources are essential for fostering equity in education. And specifically, we're looking at the additional special education staff, 4.2 million for a multilingual
learner support. Also, the fact that there is a smaller class size focus at the end of last year, many employees felt a kind of a dismal cloud regarding their position, and we're pleased to see the provisions for more teaching staff to
address enrollment growth. So reducing class sizes is vital to improve individual attention and engagement and academic outcome, particularly in school with high needs. The other benefit I found was the investment in early education, early learning. The
funding for 13 new full day general education and 15 new special education pre-K classes that will expand access to early childhood education, preparing more students for long term success. We also, as staff
members, like the 4.3 million that has been allotted to Chromebook repairs and so on. There are some areas of concern that we do have, which is because we know the budget is addressing many critical areas and there are some concerns and some opportunities for improvement. The
paraprofessional support, it plays a Paris play a vital role in supporting both students and teachers, particularly in special education classrooms. However, many are stretched thin. The budget should include increased staffing for paraprofessionals and improved
compensation to really reduce turnover and ensure adequate support. Professional development is also key, and continuous professional development is key to empowering educators and paraprofessionals to meet the evolving needs of our students. We urge the board
to expand funding for training opportunities that focus on instructional strategies, classroom management, and inclusive practice, which I know that many, many of them are there and we can do with some more. I took some recently equity and resources. We also
want to urge the board to continue to really prioritize equity, equitable distribution of staffing resources to ensure smaller class sizes are happening across all the schools, especially those serving vulnerable populations. Now, the central service
reorganization, reducing the FTEs 81.5 FTEs in central services may impact the level of support provided to schools. While efficiencies are necessary, it is important to evaluate the potential strain on school operations and ensure
that vital services remain accessible. Some of the things that we would like the board to pressurize would be smaller class sizes to make sure that new teaching positions are distributed equitably to reduce class sizes in schools with the
highest needs, allowing teachers to provide more individualized attention to students. And our students really do need it. We also need to increase paraprofessional staffing and compensation. This will definitely help with where special education classrooms are
needed, new powers, and improved compensation to attract and retain skilled staff. We also need to expand on professional development. We definitely know that teachers and paraprofessionals with skills already exist in all. We all need to address diverse learning
needs and implement effective instructional practice. It is good to see a really strong commitment to addressing the key priorities for students and staff and families in this budget. However, we really want
to urge you to encourage the board to enhance investments in smaller class sizes. Paraprofessional support, professional development, and equitable resource distribution to ensure that every student has the opportunity to thrive. So thank you so much for your time
and dedication to supporting our school and our communities. I'm Corinne Carlton. I think that concludes this portion of cluster representatives testimony. Before I turn to my board colleagues for questions
or comments, I want to congratulate Miss Johnson. I think you win this evening's public announced longest Parent volunteers, but truly, seriously, we really appreciate
all the volunteers and your engagement with the board and the school system. I'm going to turn to my colleagues to see if there's any questions and comments going to start from the right hand side, Miss Stewart.
Sure. I heard some questions actually. It might be SIP, but the ramps that's been on the list for 4 or 5 years, and in Gaithersburg cluster. Okay. And
then the headset where in the budget because I know that could be in either. Anyway, I just want to look into getting the resources we need for translation. Okay. Miss Montoya,
just very quickly to the advocates from the Gaithersburg cluster and the advocate from the Wheaton cluster, if you have not already, if you could please send our staff the schools where the ramp is in disrepair and where the stairs are in disrepair. I would really
appreciate that. Thank you. Miss Rivera. Alvin's. Earlier in the testimony, and I hope the coordinator from Kennedy Cluster is still here. There was there was some testimony from a young man that he spoke about. There
was a bus that it was eliminated, but I didn't hear that in any in the testimony. And I'm just wondering, was that for a specific program or was there an after school bus because it wasn't clear. I don't
know. Okay. I don't know the answer to that. If we can look into that, I'd appreciate it. And then then in your testimony, you talked about the ID cards. I believe the scanners. And I think we're working on that.
Doctor Taylor, are we working on that? Get you an answer? But I just want to say thank you to all, to all of you for staying this long and for your commitment to our school. It's really wonderful to see the
parents, the advocates and the students and the teachers come out and support our youth, our children and our staff. Ms. Silvestre. Yes, and I also just wanted to thank everyone for coming here today to advocate on
behalf of our students and schools. We definitely want to fund what you are bringing to us, and we look forward to working together with you to advocate for fully funding of our budget. Thank you. All right. We're going to move to the next section. We have
individuals who will come to testify today. I'm going to call the first six. Mr. Owusu. Pedro Bane, Mara, green grass. Julian
Julian Williams and Jackie Sain, John Michelle Whitaker, Jennifer ball. We might need one more chair to because there are some
teams, there are some additional chairs around. Yeah. Mr. Ahead. Good evening. My name is Edward Owusu and I serve as executive
director for Mcap. Doctor Taylor was provided with direct instruction from the board to come up with a budget that meets the needs of the school system. This Herculean task, placed on his shoulders, excluded the collaborative process. As my colleague Mr. Fawcett shared, we're disappointed and the decision not to follow the
process has had a rippling impact. To borrow a phrase from our sister association, MCE, our employee working conditions are our student learning conditions. This is true in every place in our school system. To create a visual for the impact that the elimination of key administrative positions have
had on M.c.p.s. I'll use the acronym of the word impact I. Inequitable workloads, budget cuts and position losses lead to inequitable workloads burdening remaining administrators. Take, for example, last year with the elimination of the Office of School System medical officer.
That work didn't go away. It resulted in another administrator adding the bulk of the work to their already overloaded plate. M moral decline, the looming reduction, excuse me, morale decline, the looming reduction in resources adversely impacts morale among
M.c.p.s administrators. This decline is widespread amongst our administrators, fearing for what comes next. A lack of processes and collaborations have yielded the storming phase that Doctor Taylor spoke so passionately about months ago to administrators and board members. P pay disparities, red
circle impacts or frozen salaries come with a lack of cost of living adjustments and step increases that create pay disparities, financial stabilit, and low morale. There are administrators who currently are in this financial limbo, and the plan is to add more frozen
salaries. Please know that inflation is real. A atmosphere of uncertainty, position eliminations, reclassification and reorganization contribute to an atmosphere of uncertainty and instability within M.c.p.s. While it's understood that this occurs for continuous growth, it
doesn't feel good. See cultural erosion when employees lack stability and work in an environment that lacks trust and psychological safety, there is cultural erosion. M.C.P.S. Has been celebrated for its long standing commitment to academic excellence, diversity and
equity. This has been a place to work and be. That didn't happen overnight. It did involve administrators committed to the vision and the brand that is m.c.p.s t talent drain, budget cuts, lack and lack of respect for what administrators do drive
skilled administrators away from M.c.p.s. You only need to search the web of staff in neighboring districts to find former M.c.p.s employees in every organizational chart. In summary, the recent budget decisions have significantly impacted M.c.p.s, creating inequitable workloads, low morale, widening pay disparities, fostering
uncertainty, and eroding our collaborative culture and risking talent drain. These changes affect not only our administrators, but the entire school system. To move forward, we must re restore collaboration and protect the values of M.c.p.s. Thank you. Thank you.
Mr. Bate. I'm just going to be brief. As long time resident and even long time employee, this is my first job. M.C.P.S. Has been providing me my first job. I just would like to talk about
funding restorative justice, but just also the difficulties I have experienced due to, you know, addressing racism in the schools and, and like the idea of inclusivity and being inclusive and the actual practice inside the schools and
just how difficult that may be. And I and I really believe that restorative justice coaches and having them in the school will at least address some of those gaps as a mechanism. But I think we just have a long way to go before we actually get to the that ideal. Just that just the
race gap. Like how students participate in the classrooms. I mean, addressing even students walking in the hallways that reject teachers, how do we how do we build that relationship? So that student and teacher and staff are actually working in unison to develop a wholesome
environment, much less an exclusive environment. But that's also reflected, I'm hearing around is the pay for paraeducators, which I have been a paraeducator, and living that life is very rough y'all. And staying in the county, right? A
lot of these teachers work in the county and live outside the county. So how how are we, you know, speaking of community, when the a vital part of the community does not live amongst us. So I've heard somebody talk about being able to live here. I'm just going to be brief. But
I mean, like, you know, it's really cool. This is my first time doing this, but it's really cool seeing all these teachers out here being supportive and speaking up, you know, participating in the process. But, you know, I'll just be real. There's not many. There's
not many of me inside the school to write, to relate to the kids. I remember, like my former principal, I worked with former teachers that work with that really try to push me and guide me into being a teacher. But that was even a longer, arduous process of where I had to travel
outside, outside the county and pay out of my pocket to actually become a teacher. Some of those processes aren't available or obvious to everybody, and I remember just in small conversations with other teachers just feeling like being a parent. I was stuck as a
parent and not being able to, you know, probably develop my skills and talents. I'll stop there. Thank you for having me here, and I'll just pass it along. Thank you. Miss Miss
Greengrass. Hi, my name is Mara Greengrass and I live in Rockville, in the very western edge of the Down County Consortium, which is fabulous. My son is a sophomore at Northwood High School, and my daughter graduated from there two years ago. Go, Gladiators.
I'm here to support funding for full time coaches in the restorative justice program across the entire M.c.p.s system. I support this program as a mother and as a Jew because restorative justice is embedded into the framework of Judaism.
This is exemplified by Maimonides, one of our great scholars, who argued that one who has wronged others should apologize often, but not always publicly, and take actions to show their repentance in how they are changing their behavior. If you haven't read Rabbi Daniel Rutenberg's on
Repentance and Repair, I highly recommend it. In a complex world, instead of punitive systems, we need to look at justice that repairs the community, rehabilitates the person who has done harm and rights, the harms done to the victim as much as possible. Traditional methods of dealing
with behavior problems lead to racial inequities, such as overpolicing of black and brown populations. I've heard from those parents who are justifiably upset and frustrated with the unfair treatment of their kids, and the next biggest group of kids hurt is those with
IEPs like my son. These are issues that should concern all of us. The problem is that inconsistently applied or inadequately trained restorative justice may be almost as bad as none. As none at all. My daughter was brought in to a restorative justice circle a few
years ago, and told me it was a good idea in theory, but it just turned into people talking at each other instead of understanding each other. We needed the adults to try to force us to listen and understand more, instead of just being in the background. Please fund full time coaches for the
restorative justice program and make sure that teachers and staff are fully trained across M.c.p.s. Thank you. Thank you. Please go ahead. Good evening. My name is Julia Williams, and
it is an honor and a privilege to represent the pupil personnel workers of Montgomery County Public Schools, all 54 of whom are dedicated and highly skilled professionals who possess a unique expertise earned through advanced graduate work and special certification to serve as vital liaisons between
internal offices, community stakeholders and state partners. In this capacity, we provide critical consultation and support to all 211 schools in our district. Thank you for the opportunity to highlight the invaluable work of the PWS and to bring to your attention two urgent issues that are currently affecting our students and their
families. Montgomery County has witnessed a staggering 116% increase in the number of individuals within families experiencing homelessness since 2020. This increase is directly reflected in our schools. During the 2020 school year, 790 students were identified as
experiencing homelessness. By last school year, that number had risen to 1851. And as alarming as those numbers are, they almost certainly represent an undercount by more than half, as it is estimated that one in every 20 farms eligible student is likely experiencing housing
instability. Because of the overwhelming demand for housing support, families can't always get the immediate help they need at the crisis center and often turn to the schools. P.W. As case managers for our homeless students, we determine what will create stability for the student, arrange the
transportation to school, and refer the family to services that can support them through their housing crisis. The vital work of PWS ensures students remain engaged in their education despite the overwhelming challenges they face. The second issue is the need for additional and distinct
level two and three alternative programs for students who are not experiencing success in a comprehensive secondary school. PWS work with home school teams to determine the appropriate supports for students disengaged from learning or not meeting behavior expectations in schools. When in-house supports
and interventions are not enough, PWS may make recommendations for alternative programs. What would an appropriate expansion of level two and three alternative programs look like? Students battling substance abuse use disorders receive enhanced rehabilitation and treatment in a smaller educational setting.
Students who are placed at alternative programs as a result of a disciplinary process learn in smaller, trauma informed spaces with integrated social emotional supports, restorative practices, and social skills training, in addition to opportunities to earn required high school credits. Students
who go to alternative programs voluntarily learn in a smaller school setting with integrated social emotional supports, increased monitoring, and greater accountability. All students who are eligible for level two and three alternative programs would have equitable access to regional sites throughout the county, which
would eliminate the burden of unreasonably long commutes, thus reducing the possibility of chronic absenteeism. For example, when a morning bus is missed, all students and staff feel safe and supported in their school buildings. Thank you very
much. Thank you. Miss Whitaker. Hello, first time speaker, long time listener. I'm glad to be here with you. I want to just thank President Yang and Vice President Rivera-Oven, the
entire board and the M.C.P.S. Staff and Doctor Taylor for this opportunity to speak to you. My name is Michelle Whitaker. I'm a parent to a fifth grader and a very active member of my PTA, Go Roadrunners, and I hope my daughter is asleep by now. But
we will see. I've had the privilege to work with many of the members on the board, as well as the staff on education issues. But today, tonight, I'm here as a parent and I just wanted to share a few thoughts with you. I appreciate the work that Doctor Taylor has done to
expand transparency in the budget, to identify reductions, and to address the Employee Health Benefits Fund issue. I think that we need to view education as building informed individuals who not only add to our society in a monetary value, but contribute to our community
and its common good. Education is a common good. It's a public good for all of us, and we need to make that investment if we want innovative innovation in business, we need to support creative arts in school. If we want peace, we need to practice
restorative justice with each other. If we want to level the playing field in society, we need to have parity in funding in our schools. I ask the board and Doctor Taylor to continue to push for more essential funding to support the real costs for
education, the real cost for the social, emotional and academic well-being of our students. We do not have parity in our resources available to students across the county that we've heard today, and this has led to literacy and math gaps. We do not have parity in access to
services for students with IEPs and 405 seconds in our county, the county government has half the number of employees and a quarter of the fleet that M.C.P.S. Does, and our budget does not match really supporting our staff. We need to make the
investments, and we need to look at how that structure is. Parity matters on all levels. For too long, we have struggled to keep up with the growing needs in our community and throughout the district, which has included the higher poverty and the food insecurity that we see in many
of our communities. My ask to you is to continue to push for more in the face of cuts at the state and federal level. I want for my daughter that as she enters fifth grade, she has the opportunity to be around trusted adults who are supporting her
academic, social and emotional well-being, and that we continue that together, not only for her, but all of her peers. Thank you very much. Thank you. Miss Bull. How did you know it was me? So
I'm Jennifer Bull. I am a parent of a third and fifth grader at Lucy v Barnsley Elementary School, and I'm here tonight to share personal experience, personal experiences in support of Doctor Taylor's budget request. And I'm also extremely moved at how many people from the Barnsley community showed up
over. I think I counted 13 people at 912. Okay, so within the first week of school this year, behavioral incidences began occurring regularly in my son's third grade class. Initially, I was unaware of the
situation until I asked my children in late September if they had ever interacted with the new vice principal, and my son responded, oh yeah, she's nice. I see her almost every day in my classroom. Which prompted me to ask why? And he explained that it's because some students
in his class were seriously misbehaving. And then he described that on multiple incidences in multiple occasions, children were crawling to the top of their cubbies and pushing up on the ceiling tiles, causing the vice principal to drop everything and
respond. As I inquired further with his teacher and the administration, I learned that these behaviors exhibited by a few students were just not just disruptive, but violent. Chairs, pencils, and desks were being thrown regularly. My son's teacher was being verbally
abused and physically assaulted. After processing the initial shock of these occurrences, I became anxious about the safety of my child, his classmates, and the teacher. My son's teacher is one of the most exceptional educators that we've had the privilege of working with. She
taught our daughter two years ago, and we developed a strong relationship with her over the course of a month. I watched as she became exhausted and hopeless, struggling to manage disruptive behaviors and protect her students. I reached out to other families with children in
my son's class, and after comparing notes, I realized the situation was even worse than I originally thought. The teacher eventually had to take long term leave due to the toll the situation had taken on her health. I can think of no other profession where you are expected to return to your job
after you are physically hurt by your job. There was a revolving door, still is of paraeducators substitutes, long term substitutes. In my son's class at one point there were weekly classroom evacuations, which we were not notified about because
the adult in charge had no way of restraining the student's behavior and dealing with the outburst. I guess you'll have to read a lot of what I wrote here, because I don't have much time left, but I support Doctor Taylor's equity add on formula, which would provide additional
per pupil funds that follow specific students who are farms and M, l or special education. I think a lot of the issues that arise in the classroom and are still occurring are due to unmet needs by students, that students
that have behavioral needs. Yep. Didn't catch everything that I wanted to, but the situation is severe and I think these issues with behavior need to be seriously addressed. Miss Bell, do we have your testimony? Yes you do. Thank you, thank you.
All right. I'm going to. Our last in-person testimony will be from Diana Santos. Do we have
Diana here? Okay. I don't see it at the moment. So can the TV play the full video? Testimony evening? I'm Corey McKesson, M.C.P.S. Parent and alum. My testimony is an appeal to the board to reconsider including virtual school in the M.C.P.S.
Budget for its economies of scale and cost effectiveness. The operating costs of online education are lower than those of in-person school, especially when it comes to special education. Doctor Taylor shared in interviews that the M.C.P.S. Budget was adversely impacted by the costs of meeting special
education students needs. Students who left M.C.P.S. Many to pursue virtual education in other counties reduced revenue by close to $6 million as the per pupil allocated, state and county funds reduced commensurately. Online education can mitigate special education
costs to some extent by reducing the type and duration of services that some students require and can receive at home during the school day, as opposed to needing additional staff in school buildings. Further, staff and paraeducators who are stretched thin during a work day in the school building
can access and provide services to far more students via an online platform, dropping in and out of zoom breakout rooms for confidential conversations and meeting with students in different physical locations without travel time, for example, in an effort to fulfill unmet needs for online learning
left by the elimination of Montgomery Virtual Academy last summer, Doctor Taylor and the board worked to establish a revised blended learning program for medically fragile students. Understand that program has had mixed success, but I have heard from multiple parents that it does not adequately fill the void of full time school, as MBA
did. Online learning is, for some, an ongoing need, having to prove repeatedly that a student's circumstances qualify for an education that fits them is too large a burden. Take it at face value that all students need to attend school, but some of them are simply not able to
fit the mold of our traditional methods. Refer to the hours of testimony from MVA students, families, and staff who tried to save our school. For specifics of those who don't qualify for the new blended learning program, the options are even less adequate. Online pathways to graduation is essentially
night school, and blended learning courses are similar to summer school in pace and duration. These offerings of a couple of hours a week are inappropriate for students, with 504 and IEP designations to struggle through, even if they were more robust learning experiences. Not enough courses
are offered for students to reach their milestones or graduation requirements. While these may be less expensive offerings, they do not meet the threshold of comprehensive education. None of us want students to slip through the cracks. To guard against that, I
urge you to fortify the place of online education in the budget. Fulfill the mandate of educating every child, and ensure students receive their guaranteed access to equal education opportunities. When you consider cost effectiveness, remember both parts cost and
effectiveness. Please fund virtual education for the FY 26 operating budget. Thank you. I'm Rebecca Jacobs, I'm the mom of a 10th grader and second grader at M.C.P.S. I've been an educator for 24 years. I'm a former PTA
president, and currently I teach remedial English at community college. Many of my students have graduated from M.C.P.S. And they do not have the skills in reading and in writing. But I am thrilled to see changes happening at the district level.
My son Jack is currently in KLA amplify, and he'd like to tell you some of the things he's learning. I am, I've learned fairy tales. I've learned tall tales. I've also learned ancient
Indian civilizations and Indian mythology, ancient or ancient Greek. Civilizations, ancient Greek. Mythology. And I've also learned life cycles of nature.
And now I am learning aviation. So I'm thrilled. My hope is that when Jack takes AP history or AP world, that there's Velcro for his in his long term memory, and it was placed there by KLA that he'll be able to understand so
much content. But I have concerns, grave concerns about the middle school curriculum and secondary English curriculum. I know there is money to fully fund the M.c.p.s Middle school curriculum. If you use an open source curriculum, I hope that
it is funded with the books, with the PD, with the assessments that it would really elevate the entire curriculum. I have concerns about secondary English. It is a home grown curriculum. It is not nationally vetted. Ninth graders are
reading graphic novels. I read the graphic novel in 25 minutes, and I encourage you to ask your children what they're reading in ninth grade. They are using texts that Jack will read in fourth grade in KLA. And so something really has to change.
I urge you to look at a nationally vetted curriculum for high school that is rigorous. Many of you saw the recent article in The Atlantic that even at elite universities, our most prestigious university professors cannot assign full texts. They're reducing the
amount of reading that students can do. They're seeing a lack of critical thinking and empathy because of what's happening in high schools, because in high schools they're not reading, and because of the digital phones and all the distractions, we can change that. It is not too late.
I urge you to use rigorous novels, full novels. Thank you, I appreciate it. Members of the Board of Education. My name is Hani Sabrina and I'm a parent of two students at Ashburn Elementary School, and I'm here to advocate for Ashburton
students and the wonderful staff who educate and guide them. This is to address a pressing concern that is affecting Ashburton. At present, Ashburton is overcapacity with a population close to 900 students and project enrollment growing and resources being stretched thinner by the day. The Ashburn
community continues to see not only typical housing turnover, but in addition, we're one of the few hotspot schools with never ending construction of new high rises and large scale neighborhoods constructed within our school boundary. Meanwhile, three elementary schools, all less than three miles from Ashburton, are all under
capacity. New developments such as the Amlin Astrid and the Rea are were all constructed under the UPP program. However, no payments were collected, so Ashburn absorbed the additional student population without any of the additional cash earmarked for M.C.P.S. Ashburton's overcapacity has put significant
strain not only on our teachers and staff, but on the infrastructure and resources of the school itself. Students are crowded into classrooms that were not designed to accommodate so many learners. Every aspect of the school day is affected from instruction due to large class sizes. Teachers spend more time managing classroom
disruptions and logistics to very early lunch periods, to lack of space for additional support rooms and after school programing. Ashburn administration, teachers and staff are working to meet the various academic and emotional needs of our students, but they cannot do it alone. Many of the current Paraeducators are
supporting kindergartners and students who need individualized support, making even fewer resources available to the majority of students. Additionally, Paraeducators intended to provide general classroom support are unavailable nearly 60% of the school day, as some are assigned to cover, are widely timed lunch
and recess schedules. We need additional support, and we urgently request that you find the budget to hire six new full time para educators for Ashburton, dedicated to supporting the general student population. As one of the Ashburton teachers expressed to me, additional support would make a big difference. We cannot
accept at capacity utilization as a rationale for inaction. By M.C.P.S. Ashburn is an aberration. Overall. Elementary school enrollment projections. The current M.C.P.S. Funding formula does not work for schools as large as Ashburn. In addition to the immediate need for six para educators, we ask
M.C.P.S. To focus on reducing class size guidelines for next year at least by one student, and number two, implement an elementary school boundary study. After the Woodward project, we need common sense boundaries between our adjacent elementary schools to rebalance populations rather than making
Ashburton the catch all school. The challenges that come with an overcapacity school impact the overall learning experience for our children and contribute to teacher burnout and attrition. Our children deserve an environment where they're not limited by overcrowded classrooms, and the staff deserve a working environment where they can focus on
education. Our community is counting on your leadership to ensure that our school remains a place where all students can learn, grow and succeed. Thank you. Hello, my name is Paul Gascoigne's. My two children are both students at Bethesda-chevy
Chase High School in Montgomery County. I'm a professor of literature and creative writing at the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore, where I'm making this recording. On the first day of the spring semester for me, I want to share
my experience teaching and also as a parent of two high school students, and hopefully my comments will help you think about the English language arts curriculum and our high schools.
My students, many of them come to college incapable of reading complex works of literature, writing coherent essays, and even in some cases, writing grammatically sound sentences.
This is a situation that is not uncommon throughout the country. It has something to do with the pandemic, but I believe it has something to do also with the watering down of English curricula in high schools and public high schools throughout
the country, students read too little, they write too infrequently. My children's experience has been such that they may be right. An essay once or twice a year in their English
classes. They rarely read physical books. They have never had a proper anthology or textbook in any of their English classes. They're given X lots of excerpts. When they do read a
book, it's typically some kind of novel or graphic novel that's been published within the past 30 or 40 years by an American writer. They almost never read something that is not by an
American writer. And they almost never read anything except maybe Shakespeare that was published prior to, say, 1950, I believe
m.c.p.s. Needs to invest in more curricular serious curricular resources and textbooks and anthologies to enhance their their English curriculum so that students have a chance to encounter literature on a regular basis and to write about
it on a regular basis. It students don't read they they don't. They need much more practice writing than they than they get in their classes. And for this to happen and for it to
happen consistently across the board, throughout the county, in every school and in every classroom, I believe there needs to be more professional development for English language arts faculty. In our experience, a lot of these classes are run like glorified study halls,
where teachers will give the students a kind of set of tasks and leave them to it. They don't really lecture, they don't teach, they don't provide much context. They really don't engage w material with much any passion. And they don't facilitate lively discussions of
the literature. And, you know, the students are coming out of out of these classes really unprepared for college. My kids don't feel like they're getting prepared for what they know is waiting for them at college, because they know this, because they hear from me when I teach
my kids and expect them to do or try to help them do well when they come to my institution. So I feel we're doing our kids a disservice and we can do much, much better with with the commitment to, to teaching
literature and teaching it with with professionalism and rigor and care. And I encourage you to really think about the kind of resources the teachers are receiving and the opportunities
we're giving students to read widely and deeply within this culture, but also outside of it. Thank you. Thank you. That concludes this portion for individual testimony. I'm going to go to my board members to see
if they have any questions or comments. I'm going to start from my left, checking the lights. Miss Wolff, I don't have any questions. I just want to thank everyone for coming out tonight. I know after you have
had a long day doing your daily activities, it's not easy to come and sit here and speak on behalf of our students, but we appreciate it and we are listening to what you have to say. So again, thank you, Miss Montoya. Thank you. I would like
to join Miss Wolff and thank all of you. I know you have had a long day. Some of you are going to get up very early and go back to a school. Many of you work at high schools. So our to our staff, our teachers, our administrators, our support staff, I really appreciate you coming out here to let us know
what's going on in your spaces, to give us your perspective so that we can make the decisions that we need to make. Thank you, Miss Stewart. I also just want to thank everyone for coming, especially you all who stayed to the bitter end. I learned so
much from these sessions and I. I was there for many years, but from here I just appreciate all the knowledge that you havehat you've shared with us and it helps us make better decisions. So thank you, Mr. Solana. Same
thing. I just want to give a special shout out to our students. I know we all want to get home, so I'll keep my remarks there. Yes, I want to remind everyone we have more community information session coming up. There's one tomorrow
at Pine Branch. Thursday we have during the day our work session number three, and then in the evening we have a virtual information session. So tonight, among the many requests we heard, I also hear, I think the
board also hears some support. A common theme of support in the superintendent's proposed budget. They are in the safety and security area, in the for the care program, for our English, our emergent
multilingual learners, special education positions, para reclassification, equity add on and the effort in the maintenance and facility area. So yeah, I just said security and safety. Absolutely. So thank
you so much. We are listening. Thank you for providing your feedback. Good night everyone. May I have a motion to adjourn the meeting. Move to adjourn second. All in favor? Thank you
everyone. The meetings are adjourned.