MCPS' "Stephanie Sheron said the new system developed by the district would serve as a “one-stop shop” that would improve accessibility, be easy to use and streamline workflows. "

‘Not been a smooth ride’: New MCPS payroll system issues may linger  

While pay issues may be resolved for Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) summer employees, Superintendent Thomas Taylor said Aug. 25 that the district may continue to face more problems while navigating a new human resources and payroll management system.  

“We’re on to discovering new payroll issues,” Taylor told Bethesda Today. “Unfortunately, I think that that’s going to be something that we have to deal with for the next several months … uncovering new payroll issues and responding to them. We are adjusting to a new financial system and a new HR system that are married together. It’s not been a smooth ride by any stretch.”  

MCPS rolled out the $33.4 million combined human resources and financial management system, called MCPS Hub+, in December 2024. At the time, then-MCPS Chief of Strategic Initiatives Stephanie Sheron said the new system developed by the district would serve as a “one-stop shop” that would improve accessibility, be easy to use and streamline workflows.   

The Montgomery County Education Association (MCEA), the union representing MCPS teachers, announced on July 28 that it filed a grievance against the district after employees experienced pay disruptions...

https://bethesdamagazine.com/2025/09/03/mcps-payroll-system-issues/

"Cram didn’t answer whether the change will impact the cost of the contract."

MCPS takes over leadership for boundary study’s community engagement  

...The Montgomery County school board approved a $1.3 million contract in December to hire FLO Analytics, an “employee-owned consulting” company with offices in Oregon, Washington and Massachusetts to conduct a school boundary study. The school board must adopt new boundaries by March 2026 since new schools that will be impacted by the revised boundaries are scheduled to open in August 2027. Bloom Planning was hired as a subcontractor to focus on community engagement as part of the study.    

MCPS spokesperson Chris Cram said Wednesday that the first few community engagement sessions were managed by FLO Analytics, and that was a “small hand off” from Bloom because the first community survey was managed by the subcontractor. Cram didn’t answer whether the change will impact the cost of the contract...

https://bethesdamagazine.com/2025/04/15/mcps-takes-over-leadership-boundary-study/

‘Our current path is not sustainable’: Montgomery Co. schools superintendent, council look at challenges to school funding

Montgomery County’s Superintendent of Schools Thomas Taylor told the county council that he’s focused on the tough fiscal picture ahead for the school system that educates more than 161,500 students.

“What is clear in my examination of the budget, and as illustrated in the data that you have before you today, is that our current path is not sustainable,” Taylor said at a county council work session on Tuesday.

Taylor and Board of Education President Karla Silvestre were among the school officials at the work session on the school system’s “cost drivers” — expenses that fuel the budget.

Craig Howard, the county council’s new executive director, explained that over a period of 10 years, FYs 2015-25, the operating budget grew by 3.9% on average each year.

In June, the county council approved a $3.3 billion operating budget for FY 2025.

Noting that nearly 90% of the operating budget is spent on staffing, Taylor said, “The system must engage in a thorough reevaluation of resource allocation.”..

‘Our current path is not sustainable’: Montgomery Co. schools superintendent, council look at challenges to school funding - WTOP News

Read the Report MCPS Does Not Want You to See: CESO Assessment of MCPS Department of Transportation

@mocoboe Paid $168,380 for Comprehensive Analysis of @mcps Transportation, Then Shelved the Report.

Here is the 5 Part CESO report the Montgomery County

Board of Education doesn't want the public to read. 

 

1  

Montgomery County Public Sc... by Parents' Coalition of Montg...

2

Montgomery County Public Sc... by Parents' Coalition of Montg...

3

Montgomery County Public Sc... by Parents' Coalition of Montg...

4

Montgomery County Public Schools, MD: 4 CESO Deliverable 01.31.2024 by Parents' Coalition of Montgomery County, Maryland on Scribd

5      

Montgomery County Public Sc... by Parents' Coalition of Montg...

County school board candidates discuss budgets, school security in forum

 ...District perception  

One question about the perception of MCPS spurred conversations around student and school performance and the reason for declining trust in the district.  

Harris blamed unfavorable perceptions of MCPS on only bad news being reported, noting the school system is struggling with similar challenges that other districts also are facing, like the increased needs of students that require more educational resources.  

“We are very honestly struggling to meet the needs of the current generation of learners,” Harris said. “This is a school system that is still trying to catch up to reality.”  

Diaz said she would empower all teachers to give students the grades they deserve and eliminate grade inflation.  

Evans said the district and board members needed to be out in the community more so people can understand what’s going on in the district. “We have some wonderful legislators that have put forth [the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future] that is going to allow us to ensure that our teachers are paid more,” said Evans, noting the 2021 landmark education reform legislation passed by the Maryland General Assembly. 

Montoya said she still believed in the quality of the school district but added that test scores and safety incidents are creating concerns among families.  

“So I think that when we talk about addressing these issues, what we’re talking about is rebuilding that trust,” Montoya said. “[To] spend wisely, invest in proven approaches, to close the gap and have a healthy balance between mental health support and adequate law enforcement coverage.”..

County school board candidates discuss budgets, school security in forum   | MoCo360

@mocoboe Paid $168,380 for Comprehensive Analysis of @mcps Transportation, Then Shelved the Report

 

ADOPTED Procurement Contracts 230720.pdf (boarddocs.com)

The Board of Education paid $168,380 for Operational Functionality Consulting Services for the MCPS Department of Transportation in July of 2023.

Then they shelved the Report for a year.  

The Parents' Coalition of Montgomery County, MD made the report public.  

Breaking: "Transparent" Board of Education Cited for Three Violations of Open Meetings Act in One Day @mocoboe @mcps

In September of 2023, the Montgomery County Board of Education put out a statement announcing their commitment to a transparent, thorough and expeditious process in the Beidleman matter.  

By January of 2024, it was clear that the Board of Education had dropped the transparent pledge and was solely focused on expediting whatever they could behind closed doors.  After observing multiple violations of the Maryland Open Meetings Act, we finally filed a complaint on January 22, 2024.  By then it was clear that the Board of Education had ditched the Maryland Open Meetings Act and they were slipping into closed meetings at every opportunity.  

The violations noted in our complaint were clear and the Board of Education members should have had no problem understanding how they were violating the law.  Afterall, the Maryland Open Meetings Act requires at least one person to have taken the Maryland Open Meetings Act training for each board that plans on meeting in closed sessions.  The Board of Education has at least one person that knows the law, plus they have their own in house lawyers that should be clear on what is required. 

Upon receiving the complaint, the Board of Education could have acknowledged their violations and committed once again to being transparent etc...  

But the Board of Education decided to hire outside legal counsel to respond to the complaint and allege that they had not violated the Maryland Open Meetings Act.  That was a decision to spend MCPS Operating funds on an outside lawyer instead of a) admitting the violation, or b) using an in house lawyer already on the payroll to respond to the complaint.  

On April 19, 2024, the Open Meetings Compliance Board issued an opinion finding multiple violations of the Maryland Open Meetings Act by the Montgomery County Board of Education at their January 22, 2024 meeting. 

Instead of the Board of Education actually following through on their commitment to be transparent, the Board of Education wasted precious MCPS Operating Budget funds trying to cover up their violation of Maryland law. 

The Board of Education broke their commitment to the public and then compounded that breach by wasting education funds that could have gone to classrooms. 

From the Maryland Open Meetings Compliance Board:  

MCPS, school board relocate headquarters to spiffy, new digs in Rockville

After decades of meeting in an aging former school, Montgomery County Public Schools and the school board have moved into a modern office building — at 15 W. Gude Drive in Rockville –complete with a board meeting room with fresh blue paint, a new sleek dais for members, rows of grey plastic chairs and six flat-screen TVs...

https://moco360.media/2024/05/20/mcps-school-board-relocate-headquarters-to-spiffy-new-digs-in-rockville/

Audit: $12.3 million went unused [including in @mcps @mocoboe] due to lack of training by state Dept. of Education

 

A state audit shows at least eight Maryland school systems didn’t use $12.3 million designated for students in underserved communities.

According to the document from the Office of the Inspector General for Education, officials with the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) didn’t provide training and guidance for local school officials to utilize what are known as concentration of poverty grants.

Those grants are to aid students inside buildings designated as community schools, which receive services such as before- or after-school tutoring, access to mental health professionals and educational field trips. Community schools, which are gradually being established around the state, are part of the Blueprint of Maryland’s Future education reform plan...

...The audit, which reviewed records from July 1, 2019, through Jan. 31, 2023, noted about $1 million was returned to the state. The “selected” school systems, also referred to as local education agencies, or LEAs, that were investigated were Allegany, Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Dorchester, Montgomery, Somerset, Washington and Wicomico counties...

https://www.marylandmatters.org/2024/02/13/audit-12-3-million-went-unused-due-to-lack-of-training-by-state-dept-of-education/

MCPS Principal sexually harassed female employees to the point they changed their appearances to avoid attention, report says

 

"Those complaints alleged, among other things, acts of bullying, retaliation, sexual harassment and unfair hiring practices," the investigation reads.

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. — Years of bullying, sexual harassment and a culture where some staff felt threatened, are just some of the findings of an investigation into the former Montgomery County Public Schools Principal Joel Beidleman, according to a recently released report. 

In September, the Office of the Montgomery County Inspector General (OIG) announced that it would open two investigations related to allegations against Farquhar Middle School Principal Dr. Joel Beidleman and Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) handling of misconduct complaints. Officials claimed he was unanimously promoted during a June meeting to become the principal at an area high school – all while being under investigation for sexual harassment...

//www.wusa9.com/article/news/local/maryland/investigation-misconduct-former-mcps-principal-dr-joel-beidleman-released/65-f43e0399-bfcc-4744-8519-76b62ef38588

Vandalism, Police Training Take Over Abandoned MOCO School. Board of Education Allows School to be Vandalized... #RollingwoodElementarySchool

Chevy Chase residents are concerned about vandalism at the old Rollingwood Elementary School after a French international school moved out.

...Neighbors were caught off guard in early February when the Montgomery County Police Department used the vacant school grounds for SWAT training. One resident who was out for a jog saw a police officer point an assault rifle at her during the training session.

Other residents have seen teenagers climbing in and out of broken windows at the old Rollingwood Elementary School, which is owned by Montgomery County Public Schools. Neighbors are worried teens are using the vacant building at 3200 Woodbine Street —adjacent to scenic Beach Drive and parks along Rock Creek — as a gathering place to take drugs and engage in other dangerous activities...

...Another Rollingwood resident, who asked not to be identified, told Patch that "it’s fair to say I am less-than-impressed with MCPS's efforts in communicating with the residents of the nearby blocks about the school overall — security, planned events, future plans, or otherwise."..

..."When walking around the building, it was obvious that all doors are open and unlocked, many windows are now broken, and the inside of the building is trashed," he told his neighbors. "Some windows are even intentionally blacked out with trash bags, suggesting they want to conceal their activities further."..

Vandalism, Police Training Take Over Abandoned MOCO School | Bethesda, MD Patch

Still No Oversight or Prosecution of Embezzlement, But: County Executive Recommends 10-Cent Increase in County’s Property Tax Rate to be Used Exclusively to Fully Fund MCPS Budget Request

Per Montgomery County: Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich today released his recommended Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24) Operating Budget of $6.8 billion, which is an increase of 7.7 percent from the FY23 approved all funds budget (County Government plus outside agencies.) The recommended FY24 budget reflects record level and significant investments for Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS), Montgomery College, affordable housing, economic development, public safety, and efforts to combat climate change.

To access the entire recommended FY24 budget, click here. To watch the County Executive’s FY24 recommended budget presentation, click here...

County Executive Recommends 10-Cent Increase in County’s Property Tax Rate to be Used Exclusively to Fully Fund MCPS Budget Request - The MoCo Show

💰💰💰 Watch as @mocoboe Wastes $500K of Education Funding. Couldn't be Bothered to Put Purchase out for Competitive Bids or Use Existing Contract.

 $500,000  

That's how much the Board of Education overspent on the purchase of school buses on August 23, 2022.

That's nothing in Montgomery County, Maryland, right? 

Montgomery County is a wealthy county, and no one cares about spending an extra $500,000, not even when the money could have gone to paying teachers, substitutes, school staff or for classroom supplies. 

Montgomery County is flush with cash.  

On Tuesday, August 23, 2022, the Montgomery County Board of Education approved an "emergency" purchase of $9.7 million dollars for diesel school buses.  

The Board of Education already had an existing contract in place that could have been used to purchase the school buses, but they didn't bother to use that contract.  

They could have put out a Request for Proposal (RFP) for this purchase and taken bids, evaluated vendors (minority/women/disabled) but they didn't bother to do that either. One vendor has already filed a Protest.

They ended up spending $500,000 more than they would have if they just used the contract they already had in place. 

The Board of Education meeting covered this no RFP, no bid purchase for exactly 2 minutes and 30 seconds.

A MCPS administrator shuffled some papers around, gave no explanation for why this was an "emergency" and the Board unanimously voted to spend an extra $500,000 on school buses.  

Watch:  

Jack Smith contract litigation from Calvert County. Now Smith is withholding $800K Contract Term from MoCo Board of Ed.

Let's review what happened when Jack R. Smith was the Superintendent of Calvert County Public Schools. 

SoMdNews Online

March 5, 2015
...Members of the Calvert board of education claim they were unaware of the executive team contracts held between the employees and Smith and said because the contracts were signed with Smith and not the board, the provisions stated in the contract were not to be extended past the June 30, 2013, date...

SoMdNewsOnlineSeptember 2, 2015
...At the end of the 2013 school year, Smith announced his resignation as Calvert’s superintendent of schools to become chief academic officer for the state. In the following months, some Calvert County Board of Education members uncovered the amount of money Smith was permitted to take from the school system in comprehensive benefits.While Smith’s contracts paid him an annual base salary of $169,000, his total compensation was upward of $300,000 in his last year as superintendent. Smith said the additional income was due to benefits, including life and health insurance coverage that will continue for life for him and his wife, paid by the Calvert school system and approved by the previous school board.Smith also was permitted to cash in annual sick leave he hadn’t used. Though Smith’s salary remained at $169,000, his take-home amounts increased each year.Smith also had granted similar contracts to his executive team members. Many Calvert school board members, including current board member Kelly McConkey, were not aware of these contracts.“I couldn’t believe somebody could do what they did and be promoted to a position of importance like that,”..
Now, here we are in 2020, in the beginning of a global pandemic where schools are closed and the public is not allowed to attend public meetings.  

****************
Now let's look at what is happening this week in Montgomery County Public Schools. 

• Tomorrow the Montgomery County Board of Education will be given a MEMORANDUM that purports to detail a CONTRACT.  
• The Board of Education is to vote on the CONTRACT without ever actually seeing it.
• Based on the years of litigation generated in Calvert County by then Superintendent Jack Smith's signing of contracts one would think that Superintendent Smith would be providing Montgomery County Board of Education members with the actual CONTRACTS that they are voting on.  But that won't happen tomorrow, April 21, 2020.

On April 21, 2020, the Montgomery County Board of Education will vote to spend up to $800,000 for an artificial turf football field for the City of Gaithersburg without even knowing it. 

Here is the MEMORANDUM that Superintendent Jack R. Smith is presenting to the Montgomery County Board of Education: 

Jack Smith Memo to Board of Ed.

 https://www.scribd.com/document/457356446/Gaithersburg-Cluster-ES-8-Land-Acquisition-Agree-1

But here is the ACTUAL CONTRACT that Superintendent Jack Smith has sent to the City of Gaithersburg.  
The Parents' Coalition has obtained the actual document and made it public.  

http://parentscoalitionmc.blogspot.com/2020/04/emergency-mcps-must-agree-to-fund-up-to.html

In the actual Contract it says that the City of Gaithersburg shall construct a field of THEIR choice, either artificial turf or natural grass.  The Contract says that if the City of Gaithersburg builds an artificial turf field then the Board of Education shall reimburse the City for up to $800,000 for the design and construction of an artificial turf field.  

On April 21, 2020, the Montgomery County Board of Education will unknowingly vote to spend $800,000 on a luxury item for the City of Gaithersburg, meanwhile children in Montgomery County are out of school, missing meals and families are in crisis.

"On top of that, the toilet paper dispensers are extremely inefficient and only allow for 2 to 3 squares to be broken off at a time. I have over 100 signatures on a petition advocating for better toilet paper from Cabin John’s 8th Grade alone."

The second topic is purchasing more buses. MCPS has too many students and too few buses. I’ve seen the crisis going on right now when it comes to bus space and overcrowding. I have personally witnessed the horrible seating, students (including me) sitting on the floor, squeezing 5 people in a three seater and witnessing an actual fistfight over who could be the third person in a three seater. I’ve talked to hundreds of students who feel the same way.

Baltimore County Public Schools whistleblower has message for employees, asks others to speak out

A whistleblower, who recently blew the top off a concealed second-known shredding of financial documents at Baltimore County Public Schools last year, has a message for other employees of the school system: “Think about how much you have seen, and what you know.  Has your silence made any of it better?”

The source, who recently came forward to two media outlets under the condition of preserved anonymity, says others should also find a way to speak out. “The only thing silence buys is more corruption. The truth will set you free… tell someone; a reporter or [WBFF-TV] Project Baltimore…”

“I’ve seen taxpayer money wasted in the millions. I’ve watched as our peers are mistreated, wronged, even fired for defending themselves or asking a simple question. If you question them, the regime will make an example of you.  They think they are above the law. It’s a culture of fear and the closer you get to retirement, the more silent you become…”

After a school board directive prohibited certain employees from destroying documents last year, two high-level executive directors suddenly disassembled a file room containing financial documents during the first phase of an active procurement audit – a room which held years’ worth of records not previously disturbed, according to the whistleblower...

https://gunpowdergazette.com/2019/11/22/bcps-whistleblower-has-message-for-employees-asks-others-to-speak-out/

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/

“Clearly, the system holds them back and restricts their opportunity to thrive,” [Christopher] Barclay said. “That level of neglect must and can be addressed.”

Community Calls for Education Equity for ‘Black and Brown’ Students
Group makes list of recommendations to address achievement gap
...

The coalition said that to eradicate the achievement gap, MCPS needs to:

• provide incentives to recruit and retain strong teachers and principals in high needs schools

• increase access to professional learning

• ensure minority students have access to advanced-level courses

• engage families in their students’ education

• work closely with education equity advocates to quickly implement services...

https://bethesdamagazine.com/bethesda-beat/schools/community-calls-for-education-equity-for-black-and-brown-students/

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Christopher Barclay was a Montgomery County Board of Education member from December 2006 to 2016. 

Montgomery Co. school board member pays back almost $1,500 in unauthorized expenses

The Washington Post
May 22, 2014
Montgomery County Board of Education member and County Council candidate Christopher S. Barclay has reimbursed the school system for nearly $1,500 in unauthorized expenses since 2012, including restaurant meals and purchases from an online travel site, records show.

The expenses were charged to a board-issued credit card that members and other senior school officials may use for meals, travel and lodging related to official business. School system spokesman Dana Tofig said Thursday that the personal expenses on Barclay’s card were flagged during a monthly review of card use. He said Barclay has fully repaid the school system.

The reimbursements were first disclosed by the Parents’ Coalition of Montgomery County, a watchdog group that presses the school system for greater transparency. The information came in response to a public records request, and WJLA (Channel 7) reported on the expenses Wednesday...

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/md-politics/montgomery-county-teachers-union-may-withdraw-endorsement-of-christopher-barclay/2014/06/02/7f8a0710-ea78-11e3-9f5c-9075d5508f0a_story.html

The Board of Education wants to Divest Lyttonsville of Their Open Space Land, Again. #AntiaircraftArtilleryBattalion

MCPS already designed a school for the Coffield Rec site.

Once again, the Board of Education has put the parkland next to the Coffield Recreation Center in Lyttonsville on a list of potential school sites.  

Back in April of 2011, the Board of Education was told by the Montgomery County Department of Parks that park land is not up for grabs for the placement of school buildings.  See the April 27, 2011, letter from Montgomery Parks to the Board of Education below. 

In 2011, the Board of Education was specifically told they could not have the land next to the Coffield Recreation Center for a public school, yet here that park is again on a list of potential school sites and the Board of Education has even gone so far as to pay for a possible building design for the proposed school.  See image from MCPS presentation. 

Not only is the Park land next to the Coffield Recreation Center the property of Montgomery Parks, but the land that became part of the fields at Rosemary Hills Local Park was probably the site for an Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion in the first half of the 1950s, as part of a group of such sites that ringed the Washington, DC region before the advent of Nike missile sites after the Korean War.

Because the land was purchased by Parks and Planning before there were federal and state environmental laws that mandated due diligence into toxic materials and other past land uses that could pose a threat to water quality or health and safety, the screening process to assess threats was very superficial, limited, for example, to noting whether a dump or other substandard structures were on site.

This site would need to be investigated thoroughly before any construction could commence and as the long time residents of Lyttonsville know, this past use of this land has prevented other construction projects from taking place on the existing fields. 

BOE Site Selection by Parents' Coalition of Montg... on Scribd

Among the approved cuts was the $25 million that Leggett recommended trimming from Montgomery County Public Schools’ $2.5 billion annual budget.

Question:  How would County Councilmember Craig Rice know whether or not there is "fat in the central office" of MCPS?  The MCPS Operating Budget documents do not even disclose the over $8 million in Capital Budget funds that are used to fund the Operating Budget.  How can he say that there is no "fat" in the multi-millions of dollars in no bid purchases that are made every year?  What about travel, gift, and food budgets for administrators?  No fat? 

...The cuts were focused on reducing funding for the central office and administrative functions, according to the school system.
“The savings and reductions will focus more on the central office and not hit our classrooms,” Rice said. “I want to caution people out there who think there is still fat in the central office—there is not.”...http://www.bethesdamagazine.com/Bethesda-Beat/2018/County-Council-Approves-Budget-Cuts/