Montgomery County Public Schools face funding crisis, struggle to repair aging buildings

Superintendent rolls out plan to fix school buildings

A dire warning about the state of the public school buildings. The superintendent says the district is running out of funds to fix aging buildings.

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. - A dire warning in Montgomery County about the state of public school buildings as the superintendent says the district is running out of money.

FOX 5's Maureen Umeh was at Magruder High School. It's one of the campuses that has been in need of repair for decades now, and those repairs may not come even if money is available. That's because  MCPS Superintendent Thomas Taylor says there simply is not enough money to fix all the schools in the county that need help. He says, on top of that, enrollment has been declining sharply.

Aging schools in crisis

Umeh says Montgomery County Public Schools has faced criticism for repeatedly requesting increased funding without fully accounting for inflation and long-term cost escalation. Officials say the district’s annual budget appeals to the county council overlook key financial factors, leading to recurring shortfalls.

Taylor is asking for $2.7 billion over six years to replace and renovate dozens of aging buildings, including Eastern Middle, Sligo Middle, and Damascus High School. Silver Spring International Middle School would close altogether under his proposal. MCPS operates more than 230 buildings, and many are more than 50 years old. Now Taylor says even that multi-billion dollar ask only covers half of the actual facility needs. Parents say something needs to be done now.

Funding falls short

Kim Glassman, PTSA president at Magruder High School, says many school buildings are decades old and deteriorating. She’s urging officials to address the issue with meaningful solutions.

At McGruder projects were funded years ago, but cost overruns delayed that work. The school now faces delays on many necessary improvements, including addressing mold and ceiling problems.

There are public hearings later this month and listening sessions next week planned, but Superintendent Thomas is saying even if that happens, he's warning people that these fixes may not be coming anytime soon or at all.

He goes before County Council on Tuesday to propose it to present his plan.