School Closures, Calendar Changes & Math Rules: What MCPS Parents Need To Know

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, MD — From academic calendars to potential school closures and core class content, Montgomery County Public Schools is providing a clearer picture of several changes set to impact students and families.

One of the biggest topics rattling the district is the latest round of possible school closures, a process that comes not long after the board drew backlash over an earlier study that impacted school assignments.

At Thursday's school board session, MCPS officials leading the study offered additional insight into what residents could expect in the coming months, underscoring that no school has been flagged for closure to date.

With community forums — virtual and in-person — booked over the next few months, the phased timeline for the first half of the process will be as follows:

A final decision on closures and consolidations won't take effect until the 2029-2030 school year.

MCPS previously said its current analysis only focuses on elementary and middle schools. High schools are excluded from the scope.

Study metrics taken into consideration range from enrollment numbers to school conditions, facility utilization, transportation, school programs, demographics, finances, student relocation, and community impacts, among others.

Related:

• MCPS Forums On Possible School Closures, Consolidations: Dates To Know
• MCPS Asks Families To Help Shape Future School Calendars

"The declining birth rates and other demographic changes mean fewer students are entering our schools, leaving some schools with more space than they need, and other parts of the county continue to grow, and we need to balance that out," Andrea Swiatocha, acting chief operations officer for MCPS, told school board members.

"We need to make sure that we are using our funding, staff, and facilities where they have the greatest impact for students."

Two of the larger notes the school board returned to MCPS officials focused on increasing the number of virtual sessions that are held later in the day, as well as making childcare services available for families seeking to attend the in-person meetings.

MCPS families can stay up to date on the latest developments on the boundary study through the county's newly launched website.

3 School Calendar Drafts

Thursday's school board session also saw MCPS officials present three options for the 2027-2028 school year calendar.

Each of the calendars account for three makeup days in January, May, and June, with the winter and spring breaks marked for Dec. 24-31 and April 10-17, respectively.

All three begin to differ when it comes to the start and end of the academic year. As outlined by the released drafts, those dates are:

• Draft one:
  Transition day on Aug. 23
  First day of school on Aug. 24
  Last day of school on June 8
• Draft two:
  Transition day on Aug. 25
  First day of school on Aug. 26
  Last day of school on June 12
• Draft three:
  Transition day on Aug. 30
  First day of school on Aug. 31
  Last day of school on June 14

Residents will be able to provide feedback on the 2027-2028 calendar before its anticipated approval at the Nov. 19 meeting.

As part of the calendar adoption process, the district is also considering approving academic calendars on a two-year basis, effectively giving MCPS families advance notice on schedules.

MCPS Chief of Staff Essie McGuire explained during the session that it would use an approved calendar, such as the 2027-2028 schedule once it's officially adopted, as a framework to deliver a two-year calendar.

"This year the board will adopt the '27-'28 calendar, and then at the same time, the board could say, "Well, we would like to mirror that approach in the '28-'29 [calendar] so we anticipate that the start day would be X, spring break would likely be Y, and the last day is probably Z,'" McGuire said.

"Then, of course, in the following fall the board would absolutely return to that and conduct a process similar to what we're doing now, to really do those finer points within the calendar."

Adopting a two-year calendar would put the district on par with practices implemented by school systems in D.C. and in Fairfax and Arlington, Virginia.

Delaying State's 60-Minute Math Requirement

In August, the Maryland State Department of Education voted to delay new guidelines requiring elementary and middle school students to spend at least 60 minutes learning math. Now, MCPS officials say they're following suit.

MCPS Chief Academic Officer Niki Porter told the school board that the district would be delaying its implementation until further direction from MSDE.

"At this time, we have decided to delay that decision until we hear further notice," Porter said. "There will be no impact on electives or any courses for next school year."

"The state is still looking at a 2028-2029 school year implementation, but it does give us more time to figure out how we will make that happen," she said.

The session saw school board President Grace Rivera-Oven welcome the development.

She noted officials had been "bombarded" by emails from residents concerned about the policy and its impact. "Hopefully, they [MSDE] will reconsider," she said.

The delayed directive comes as statewide tests showed Maryland students recorded a 27.1% proficiency in math.