Superintendent Parties as Buddy the Elf while Sherwood High School Floods

 

On Thursday, December 18, 2025, a broken sprinkler system at Sherwood High School caused flooding that damaged at least 12 classrooms.  The flooding caused the school to be closed on Friday, December 19th. 

Meanwhile on Councilmember Will Jawando's Facebook on Thursday, December 18th, we see that the Councilmember attended a MCPS leadership and staff Holiday Party where Superintendent Thomas W. Taylor was dressed up as Buddy the Elf.  

Did Buddy the Elf have a creative plan for cleaning up the water flooding the classrooms and halls at Sherwood High School?  Did he suggest bubble gum or marshmallows as caulk?  All of the other elves are waiting to hear Buddy the Elf's solution to the flooding at Sherwood High School.  

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1560727386058035&set=pcb.1560727802724660

MCPS fails to address G87 mold concerns

 Story by Gavin Tribble of the Walter Johnson Pitch newspaper reprinted in The Sentinel. Full story here.

After every class period when students rush through the hallways, ceramics teacher Kimberly Venesky wipes water off her cabinets in G87. The water coats her cabinets, running down the front, settling atop cabinet doors and pooling on the floor.

“Just people washing their hands and splashing or whatever, water is running down the stainless steel [countertop] and down towards the front,” Venesky said. “It’s sitting on top of the [cabinet] door, so when you open the door water is falling onto the floor.”

This has caused the cabinets, which are new, having to be replaced over the summer, to start deteriorating. Parts of the cabinet have begun to buckle under repeated contact with water and the door has started to split apart.

These cabinets have had issues long before they were replaced, having leaked for several years until, finally on March 13, 2024, a Work Order Request was filed to replace the counters. A day later, plumbers reported suspected mold, requesting an Indoor Air Quality investigation in a second work Order Request.

The Indoor Air Quality investigation was completed on March 18, 2024, finding a decayed root structure on a piece of rubble in the cabinet. It is also unclear if mold was properly checked for, as the cabinets were not removed, so the wall behind was not assessed, where Venesky argues the mold was located.

While the Indoor Air Quality investigation was complete, the cabinets were not replaced.

Eventually on June 18, over a year after the request was first filed, new cabinets were installed. However, it was unclear what happened when they put the new counters in.

“I don’t know how they addressed the mold, whether or not they just put the cabinets on top of it, wiped it down, whether it’s actually up to code, and that’s my concern right now, that it’s just going to come back,” Venesky said.

Montgomery County’s only charter school will fight closure effort

 

Superintendent Thomas Taylor wants to close the school, so its leaders are appealing to the state

The leaders of Montgomery County’s only charter school don’t seem ready to go down without a fight.

Superintendent Thomas Taylor is pushing for Mecca Business Learning Institute’s closure, pointing to failures to serve students with special needs, enrollment declines and violations of federal privacy law.

He asked the Montgomery County school board to vote next month to revoke the campus’ charter.

Faced with that existential threat, charter school officials want to take their case to the Maryland State Board of Education. They’ve filed a petition asking for an impartial review of the situation...

https://www.thebanner.com/education/k-12-schools/montgomery-county-charter-school-fight-closure-6FPDQG3TVREOBPHHU2YZGG7KNQ/#comments-header

County school board pauses decision on closing Silver Spring International Middle School

The Montgomery County school board on Thursday unanimously voted to suspend its consideration of whether to close Silver Spring International Middle School (SSIMS), deciding to instead incorporate a decision into a future elementary school boundary study.  

A recommendation to close the middle school by 2031 was included in Montgomery County Public Schools’ (MCPS) proposed $2.7 billion 2027-2032 Capital Improvements Program (CIP). The potential closure was to be incorporated into boundary options under consideration for the attendance zones for the new Charles W. Woodward High School in Rockville and Crown High in Gaithersburg, both set to open in the 2027-2028 school year. 

“We have a lot of important decisions in front of us this year,” board Vice President Brenda Wolff said Thursday during a board meeting in Rockville. “Because of that, we need to be intentional about timing and communication. We don’t have enough time for community engagement prior to our decision on boundaries.”  

Wolff said adding consideration of whether to close the downtown Silver Spring Middle School to a future study of elementary school boundaries would provide a more holistic view of necessary school closures...

https://www.thebanner.com/education/k-12-schools/montgomery-county-charter-school-fight-closure-6FPDQG3TVREOBPHHU2YZGG7KNQ/#comments-header

MCPS head of HR no longer employed by district

Six months after assuming the role, the chief talent management officer for Montgomery County Public Schools is no longer employed by the district, according to an MCPS spokesperson.  

In a statement sent Thursday to Bethesda Today, MCPS spokesperson Liliana Lopez said Kaylan Connally is “no longer with MCPS.”  

The district is working on a transition plan for the role, she said. MCPS Chief of Staff Essie McGuire and Chief Legal Officer Robyn Seabrook are “supporting the transition and ensuring continuity” in the interim, she said...

https://bethesdamagazine.com/2025/12/11/mcps-head-of-hr/

State Board of Ed. threatens funding pull over Somerset County Public Schools lawyer hire

PRINCESS ANNE, Md. - The Maryland State Board of Education has requested the State Comptroller to withhold some funding from the Somerset County Board of Education over a recent legal counsel hire.

On Nov. 13, the Maryland Inspector General for Education issued a report alleging the Somerset County Board of Education had violated a state mandate in firing their previous legal representation and hiring Schifanelli Law, LLP. The Inspector General said the Somerset BOE made those decisions behind closed doors when policies required they be made in public.

The Somerset BOE has since pushed back on any allegations of wrongdoing.

During a Dec. 9 meeting, the Maryland State Board of Education addressed the Inspector General’s Report, underscoring that while deliberation in closed session meetings is permissible, final action taken by the Somerset Board must be done in public.

The Somerset BOE’s alleged failure to place the legal counsel contract approval on a public agenda and adopt it in open session, the State Board of Education also concluded, violated statutory requirements.

In response, the State Board voted unanimously to direct the State Superintendent to ask the State Comptroller to withhold funding from the Somerset County Board of Education in the amount of the legal services contract if the Somerset BOE does not publicly adopt that contract. The State Board of Education has given the Somerset County BOE 30 days to comply with directive before the funding is withheld...

 https://www.wboc.com/news/state-board-of-ed-threatens-funding-pull-over-somerset-county-public-schools-lawyer-hire/article_fcbdd0a0-d24f-4ca6-ba4d-fcbb65defa8f.html

Opinion: Reinvent MCPS to help bolster MoCo economy

Spending needs to be targeted at improving student performance

By Gordie Brenne

December 6, 2025 8:00 a.m. | Updated: December 6, 2025 7:45 a.m.

Jared Smith, the new CEO of the Montgomery County Economic Development Corp., faces a big turnaround challenge. Our local economy is stagnant and our growing poor and senior populations are burdened with inflated residential property tax assessments.      

It will be interesting to see if he does anything with the last economic development plan approved in 2022, or whether he just starts over. The last plan did not include job performance targets, regional road transportation strategies, or a rigorous analysis of our competitive strengths and weaknesses in the region.

The plan also totally ignored two bedrock county service elements that corporations evaluate before relocating: schools and water and sewer service. Yes, a lot of work also needs to be done for timely permitting, and to reduce stifling regulations and high taxes. But in addition, both Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) and the Washington Suburban Sanitation Commission (WSSC) have been operating as poorly supervised state monopolies for years and it shows in their high costs     and poor performance.

MCPS has a sky-high overhead rate of 45% vs. 37% for Fairfax County Public Schools for non-instruction spending, which drives high taxes. MCPS operates as a monopoly not adequately serving low-income students, and has blocked access to charter schools. The result is dismal academic proficiency levels for English at 35%, and math at 15%...

https://bethesdamagazine.com/2025/12/06/opinion-reinvent-mcps-to-help-bolster-moco-economy/

Mold and Maintenance Issues at Sherwood H.S. Spur Parent Petition

With more than 576 signatures, parent Claudia Delgado is pushing for change and calling attention to the mold, aging plumbing, malfunctioning HVAC system, sewage issues, leaks, broken tiles, poor ventilation and asbestos concerns at Montgomery County’s Sherwood High School, where her daughter studies. 

“My daughter spends her mornings in a moldy classroom and often suffers from a ‘cold.’ These conditions do not create a healthy, safe, or positive environment for learning,” Delgado wrote on the petition page, urging action to address the problems.

In recent years, a growing amount of students, staff, and parents have raised concerns about the mold and poor air quality in the school building, located at 300 Olney-Sandy Spring Road. 

It is a visible, documented problem

A report commissioned in October 2023 by fine arts teacher Hailey Mitkoff identified several species of mold in damp areas and noted long-standing water damage. The report recommended “prompt remediation” and “elimination of moisture sources,” according to a story in the Sherwood student newspaper, The Warrior Online...

https://www.mymcmedia.org/mold-and-maintenance-issues-at-sherwood-h-s-spur-parent-petition/

MCPS should prioritize keeping our HVAC systems up-to-date – Not only for the environment, but also for our students.

Public Comment to the Montgomery County Board of Education from a member of the MCPS Student Climate Action Council (November 4, 2024)

Good evening, superintendent Taylor and members of the Board. We are members of the MCPS Student Climate Action Council or SCAC, a student-composed, Board-sanctioned group seeking to create a green school system. 

As you all know, the SCAC combines a multitude of perspectives from different schools throughout the county, and we work to reduce MCPS’s environmental impact while providing support for student sustainability projects. 

The SCAC is currently working to formulate a Climate Action Plan to support the school system in reaching its emissions and sustainability goals of an 80% reduction in carbon emissions by 2027 and 100% by 2035. One of the main pillars of the plan is clean energy, which is crucial to reducing Montgomery County’s carbon footprint. The two components of this pillar that we want to focus on tonight are energy conservation and efficient HVAC systems. 

MCPS should be conscious about their energy usage when updating current facilities or building new ones, particularly by harnessing more solar power. Currently, MCPS has 17 solar sites at their schools. However, MCPS has over 200 schools, meaning these solar sites make up less than 10% of the total. MCPS should increase the amount of schools that utilize solar power, given the multitude of benefits it offers. These benefits include reduced electricity costs, zero carbon emissions, lower maintenance needs, and educational opportunities for students to learn about renewable energy first-hand. In fact, MCPS has saved over 300,000 dollars because of solar power. 

Ensuring that current buildings are renovated to be all-electric is another priority. Converting to electric heating systems and appliances will create healthier learning environments for our students by improving indoor air quality, while significantly reducing our schools' carbon footprint. This would decrease our reliance on unsustainable energy practices and would also benefit our school system in the long term. 

MCPS should also explore alternatives to reduce energy use, such as implementing cool roofs, which are simply roofs painted white. They’re designed to reflect sunlight and thus reduce the internal temperature of the building. In addition to being environmentally conservative, this design would also reduce air conditioning costs. 

Additionally, MCPS should prioritize keeping our HVAC systems up-to-date – Not only for the environment, but also for our students. An issue that has been brought up time and time again amongst our students is MCPS’s old, unreliable, breaking HVAC systems. These outdated systems create highly uncomfortable learning conditions, and we must prioritize the success of our students by keeping these systems updated. Upgrading these systems isn’t just about comfort—it's an investment in healthier, more productive learning spaces that support both our students' well-being and our district’s environmental goals. 

The environmental issues stemming from MCPS’ current HVAC systems are a result of their reliance on outdated, inefficient technologies. These technologies consume excessive energy and use refrigerants with high global warming potential, both of which are contributing to environmental harm. By expanding programs such as MCPS’s already existing geothermal heating systems, MCPS can fortify its position as a climate leader, enhancing energy efficiency, reducing emissions, and creating a better learning environment. 

Advances in our county’s energy and HVAC systems will undoubtedly lower our County’s impact on the climate, and will help create a green school system for future MCPS students. As the climate crisis worsens, it is imperative that MCPS seeks to take immediate action on present environmental issues and unify their response under an overarching Climate Action Plan. The integration of clean energy and climate-consciousness into all parts of the school system will allow MCPS to reach its zero emissions goal by 2035. MCPS does not only have the ability to take these actions, it has a responsibility to do so; a responsibility to the students, staff, and community whose futures will be affected by climate change. Thank you

Petition: Save Our Silver Spring Schools

 

Save Our Silver Spring Schools

Who We Are

We are standing up as a sizable community of parents and advocates to ensure our voice is heard amid MCPS’ misguided, fast-tracked proposal to close Silver Spring International Middle School (SSIMS) and relocate Sligo Creek Elementary School (SCES).

What We Want

Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) announced a plan on October 13 to close Silver Spring International Middle School (SSIMS) in June 2030 and relocate Sligo Creek Elementary School (SCES) in August 2029, in order to repurpose the buildings into “holding” schools for other construction projects. 

MCPS says this plan addresses a need for downcounty holding schools, that the buildings are no longer fit to be used as permanent facilities, and dropping enrollment is impacting school populations. 

While there is a need for downcounty holding schools, there are alternatives to closing the only middle school in downtown Silver Spring. Further, close analysis of the plan shows that it is not data-driven, is fiscally irresponsible and counter to the principles laid out in the county’s Thrive Montgomery 2050 plan. 

The timeline from MCPS proposal announcement to Board of Education vote is only five weeks—a fast-tracked schedule that severely limits community engagement. The process for this proposal and decision has been rushed without consultation with our community, contradicting MCPS’s own established policies for Facilities Planning.

We need our neighborhood schools! Our community and students deserve better.

We call on MCPS, Superintendent Taylor, County Executive Marc Elrich, and the Montgomery County Council to take all necessary steps to stop plans to convert SCES and SSIMS into holding schools, and make needed investments for our community’s students in the current facilities...

https://saveoursilverspringschools.com/

Mold in Montgomery County school draws staff complaints, parent petition

In September, Hailey Mitkoff, a teacher at Sherwood High School in Sandy Spring, experienced such extreme chest pain and shortness of breath that she had to go to the hospital. She said that she had observed mold in her classroom before, and that her doctor suspected a link. Mitkoff took an allergy test that confirmed she was allergic to some molds, she said.

She submitted a complaint to Montgomery County Public Schools that detailed her hospitalization and the allergy test. It was one of several complaints reviewed by The Washington Post that staff at Sherwood have sent to head administrators, requesting remediation for what they describe as a potent mold problem. Some parents from the school have also assembled a petition requesting Montgomery County schools to conduct “urgent repairs and mold remediation.”..

https://wapo.st/48Ckwix

Mooney publicly admitted that he had made up the student quote used in the email, explaining that he had summarized what he believed to be the girls’ general sentiment.

 

Racism claim that rocked Bethesda-Chevy Chase still lingers

After two B-CC students accused Dan Engler of racism, the fallout was swift

Dan Engler had been teaching at Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School for 18 years when he walked into the first period health class that would upend his life.

At the start of class and early on in the spring semester of the 2022-23 school year, two 10th grade girls asked Engler if they could sit with their friends. Engler recalled telling them to stay seated according to the seating chart so he wouldn’t “get anybody mixed up,” and then finally relenting.

The girls said they heard something different — that Engler couldn’t tell them apart because they were Black. Engler didn’t know it just then, but B-CC’s response to this claim would end up dividing the school and threatening his career...

https://www.thebanner.com/community/local-news/dan-engler-bethesda-chevy-chase-high-school-ITKPO5P2KJAXJBAZH2PPCQRTE4/

Distraction Free Schools Maryland

Distraction Free Schools Maryland is part of a coalition of parents, educators, and school administrators united in calling for legislative action and policy changes to address the overuse of smartphones, social media, and School-Tech in Maryland's schools. It is a state team under the Distraction-Free Schools Policy Project, an initiative led by Becca Schmill Foundation and Smartphone Free Childhood U.S.

 

Our state team is focused on two parallel efforts:

 

1) Community Outreach - We encourage all supporters in Maryland to sign our Letter of Support, which will be shared with our state legislators. Our advocates are busy reaching out to and meeting with state legislators to sponsor our model legislation, and every signature added greatly supports their advocacy efforts. Model legislation includes: Phone Free Schools, Social Media Free Schools, and Safe School Tech.

 

2) Legislator Outreach - We need people who can reach out to legislators to urge them to sponsor the model legislation. We are putting together template materials to help people do this outreach. You can also indicate your interest in doing this work also by signing our Letter of Support.

 

Please share our Letter of Support widely within your networks!

https://www.distractionfreeschools.com/maryland-action

Wootton HS: "gas company found failed gas regulator and a bees nest that was located in a venting pipe for the school’s boiler system."

Classes are back in session at Thomas S. Wootton High School in Rockville, Maryland, after students were evacuated moments after the first bell rang Monday morning.

The school building was evacuated at about 7:20 a.m. due to a gas odor...

https://wtop.com/montgomery-county/2025/11/classes-resume-at-wootton-high-school-after-suspected-gas-leak/

Loudoun County taxpayers are now paying Superintendent Aaron Spence more than $500,000

...For instance, when Superintendent Aaron Spence joined the school system in 2023, his base salary was $375,000. A year later, in 2024, his pay jumped to $472,997. In June, the school board approved an increase in the deferred compensation for Spence to $32,500, and Spence’s proficient performance rating from the school board earned him a 6.5 percent increase in his salary this year, which brings his total earnings from LCPS to well over $500,000 in 2025...

https://wjla.com/news/local/loudoun-county-teachers-big-raises-new-bargaining-agreement-wages-benefits-costing-taxpayers-millions-public-schools-education-association-funding-money-officials