Superintendent Taylor wants to see if MCPS can fail again at a public-private partnership. MCPS has money to burn.

 

MCPS to explore public-private partnerships to fund some facility needs  

Proposed capital improvement program includes money to hire adviser

Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) will explore partnering with private companies to pay for some facility projects included in its proposed $2.7 billion six-year capital improvements program (CIP), Superintendent Thomas Taylor told the county school board Tuesday. 

A public-private partnership, also called a P3, allows a school district to partner with a private-sector company to get new construction projects started faster, without requiring the district to pay the upfront costs, according to a district presentation during a work session on the proposed CIP.  

The ongoing construction of the Purple Line is the most well-known local example of a P3, with the state partnering with the private sector to build the 16-mile light-rail that will run from Bethesda to New Carrollton when completed. 

MCPS Superintendent Thomas Taylor said the Carver Educational Services Center in Rockville is an example of an MCPS facility that could be suitable for a public-private partnership to make needed renovations...  

https://bethesdamagazine.com/2025/11/04/mcps-public-private-partnership/

Former MCPS School Site Being Vacated. It can now be reclaimed for MCPS use.

 https://bethesdamagazine.com/bethesda-beat/development/housing-opportunities-commission-moving-to-downtown-silver-spring/

MCPS Might Reclaim Housing Opportunities Commission Headquarters

As the Montgomery County Housing Opportunities Commission prepares to move its headquarters to Silver Spring, the county school district is contemplating taking over the Kensington facility the agency was using.

The Housing Opportunities Commission — a commission formed in 1974 to respond to the county’s need for affordable housing — plans to move to a new location in Silver Spring within three years, according to county officials. The commission’s headquarters is now in a former school on Detrick Avenue in Kensington.

MCPS spokeswoman Gboyinde Onijala wrote in an email last month that MCPS is “considering the option but [we] haven’t made any specific plans for the site.”

In the Walter Johnson High School cluster, the 45,206-square-foot school has 19 rooms. It sits on 4.54 acres, according to MCPS documents.

Because it is a school site, MCPS gets first dibs, according to Greg Ossont, deputy director of the county’s Department of General Services...

https://bethesdamagazine.com/bethesda-beat/news/mcps-might-reclaim-housing-opportunities-commission-headquarters/

Montgomery Co. Leases for Closed School Sites

For your information, here is the list of leases for public school sites in Montgomery County for properties that are held in the name of the County.  (This list does not include properties that are held in the name of MCPS.)


How many of these leases include an option to buy? 


How many of these leases are standard Montgomery County lease forms signed by Montgomery County staff and how many of these leases have a unique arrangement and are signed by the County Executive. 


Post your results. A quick review of these documents shows that one of these leases stands out from all the rest. 

Closed Schools

1.Peary High School 
13300 Arctic Avenue
Melvin J. Berman Hebrew Academy
Lease

2. Aspen Hill Elementary School
4915 Aspen Hill Road
Sheppard Pratt Health Systems, Inc.
Lease

3. Alta Vista Elementary School
5615 Beech Avenue
Beth Country Day School
Lease

4. English Manor Elementary School
4511 Bestor Avenue
The Children's Learning Center
Lease
1st Amendment

5. Lower Parkside Elementary School
9504 Burnett Avenue
Acorn Hill School, Inc.
Lease

6. Forest Grove Elementary School
9805 Dameron Drive
Holy Cross Hospital
Lease

7. Dennis Avenue Health Center
2000 Dennis Avenue
Spanish Catholic Center, Inc.
Lease

8. Holiday Park Senior Center
3950 Ferrara Drive
Mental Health Association
Lease
1st Amendment

Holiday Park Senior Center
3950 Ferrara Drive
Interages
Lease 

9. Lone Oak Center
1010 Grandin Avenue
Centers For The Handicapped Inc
Lease
1st Amendment

10. Fernwood Elementary School
6801 Greentree Road
The Woods Academy
Lease

11. Gude Drive Shelter
600 E Gude Drive
Mobile Medical Care, Inc.
Lease

12. Randolph Junior High School
11710 Hunters Lane
Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School
Lease

13. Hillandale Elementary School
10501 New Hampshire Avenue
Centers For The Handicapped Inc
Lease

14. Colesville Elementary School
14015 New Hampshire Avenue
Maryland Child Services
Lease
1st Amendment 

Colesville Elementary School
14015 New Hampshire Avenue
Casa de Montessori
Lease 

Colesville Elementary School
14015 New Hampshire Avenue
Kappa Alpha Psi
Lease 

Colesville Elementary School
14015 New Hampshire Avenue
Colesville Council of Community Congregations, Inc.
Lease
1st Amendment 

Colesville Elementary School
14015 New Hampshire Avenue
Montgomery Volunteer Dental Clinic, Inc.
Lease
1st Amendment

Colesville Elementary School
14015 New Hampshire Avenue
Raising Hispanic Academic Achievement, Inc.
Lease

Colesville Elementary School
14015 New Hampshire Avenue
Bethah Associates
Lease

15. Clara Barton Community Center
7425 MacArthur Boulevard
Clara Barton Day Care Inc.
License
1st Amendment
2nd Amendment

16. Arylawn Elementary School
5650 Oakmont Avenue
YMCA
Lease
1st Amendment
2nd Amendment

17. Georgetown Hills Elementary School
11614 Seven Locks Road
The Ivymount School
Lease
1st Amendment

18. MacDonald Knolls Elementary School
10611 Tenbrook Drive
Centers For The Handicapped Inc
Lease
1st Amendment 

19. Broome School
751 Twinbrook Parkway
Threshold Services, Inc.
Lease