Groups questions MCPS Program Analysis as Boundary Study continues

Groups questions MCPS Program Analysis as Boundary Study continues

Parents and teachers are urging caution on Montgomery County’s proposed Academic Program Analysis. With this analysis, MCPS is seeking to overhaul what programs are offered at the county's high schools and instead, propose a 6-region model. The program analysis comes as the sweeping MCPS Boundary Study continues to move forward.

DAMASCUS, Md. - Parents and teachers are urging caution on Montgomery County’s proposed Academic Program Analysis. With this analysis, MCPS is seeking to overhaul what programs are offered at the county's high schools and instead, propose a 6-region model. The program analysis comes as the sweeping MCPS Boundary Study continues to move forward.

 All of these proposed changes impacts hundreds of thousands of families in Maryland's largest school district. 

What we know:

Earlier this month, the Montgomery County Education Association (MCEA) voted to oppose the regional program model for secondary schools. Just before that vote, the Montgomery County Council of Parent Teacher Associations issued a resolution seeking it to be paused, at least until the boundary study is finalized.  

"We think there is real value in the exploration of a regional model to allow access to programs all across the county.  The kids in the Downcounty Consortium are so lucky that they have this ability to look at programs at other schools. and it makes sense that kids in other parts of the county should get that. What MCCPTA resolution is doing is saying, if we're going to do something this important and make such a HUGE change that's going to last for potentially decades to come, we need to do it right. And we think to do it right, it needs to be done more slowly," said MCCPTA President Brigid Howe. 

Dig deeper:

The Academic Program Analysis would do away with the popular Downcounty Consortium, which allows students within the Down county region to select the high school/program of their choice through lottery. 

The concerns listed in the MCCPTA's resolution include a lack of community input into this proposal. There are concerns over program access/transportation considerations and resources.

"Whereas, MCPS has not meaningfully demonstrated how resources needed to create a new 6 Region Model with as many as 96 new programs by the 2027-28 academic year would not siphon resources from strengthening the core curriculum at all MCPS schools to the detriment of all MCPS students; and..." part of the MCCPTA resolution reads. 

There have also been separate concerns raised to FOX 5 that the boundary lines drawn in the second boundary study wave of options was directly impacted by the program overhaul.  

The MCPS Boundary Study could change what middle schools and high schools students attend in the near future. The plan is to implement new school boundary maps two school years from now as the county makes way for two new high schools and at least one high school expansion. 

Rebekah Kushchmider, who has been following the boundary study's second wave of options closely, told FOX 5 on the Program Analysis, "That's really put constraints on how they can draw the boundaries, it's the reason all the DCC schools continue to be overcrowded in these new options and you know, it has nothing to do with community feedback because the community hasn't been given an opportunity to give any feedback on the program studies or on the regional alignments. That is a completely unilateral decision out of the central office and now it's affecting the boundary study in a way that isn't serving the interest of the schools and students." 

Kushchmider later informed FOX 5 of updates that ended up lowering the utilization rates at the DCC schools she had previously expressed concern about. However, she is concerned those updates still leave Wheaton High School dealing with overcrowding. Kushchmider tells FOX 5 she's also concerned of a potential move to cut overcrowding at Blair High School by cutting the size of their current magnet programs. 

What they're saying:

A Montgomery County Public Schools Spokesperson gave FOX 5 this statement: 

"MCPS is not pausing the Academic Programs Analysis. The Program Analysis is an iterative process committed to expanding rigorous program access for all students. This work has a clear timeline, including opportunity for planning and a grade-level-at-a-time phasing. We hear the community's concerns about the pace. However, we believe moving forward is essential to establishing the foundational model needed for future growth. While we know that there will be a transition period, we are proceeding with intentional urgency because delaying this work risks maintaining a system of scarcity and inequity. Our commitment is to our students, and we believe it is in their best interest to continue building these opportunities now.

The initial boundary options were never intended as final recommendations; they were draft models designed to test variables. Community's feedback has directly shaped the second wave of scenarios, which explores a broader set of approaches and reflects what we have heard from the community.

Parent and community members continually guide both the programming and boundary work through their input. While the second phase of boundary scenarios may appear highly technical because consultants rely on objective data for modeling, the feedback families shared across meetings, emails, and public comments in recent weeks drove the resulting revisions. We maintain an ongoing goal: to be transparent about what we learn, actively listen, and ensure that any final recommendations accurately reflect both the data and the lived experiences of the most impacted communities."

One of the largest concerns rolling into November, is that many parents still don't understand all that is happening. 

"I want families to go to these meetings and ask these questions. And if they don't know — I saw on social media this morning somebody responding to a PTA leader saying go to this meeting, saying, 'I wouldn't even know what question to ask. I feel so unformed.' And my thought for that was, you need to then go and say that," said Howe. 

What's next:

There have been meetings, there is an open online boundary study survey and school board meeting discussions on both matters. The next round of Boundary Study engagement sessions are posted online.

January is when the MCPS Superintendent Dr. Thomas Taylor is expected to present his Boundary Study and Academic Program Analysis recommendations to the School Board.