Council committee backs expansion of Excel Beyond the Bell and adds program manager; members press for clearer data-sharing

The Montgomery County Budget Committee agreed without objection to include in the executive's proposed budget an expansion of the Excel Beyond the Bell (EBB) after-school program to Waters Landing and East Silver Spring elementary schools and the addition of a program manager position to oversee the program.

A staff briefing read to the committee identified the elementary expansion cost as $688,246. "The expansion of Excel Beyond the Bell programming to Waters Landing and East Silver Spring Elementary Schools, in the amount of dollars $688,246," said a committee staff member, Ms. Cummings, while outlining the decision point in the packet materials.

Committee members said the budget decision matters because EBB is a large, targeted out-of-school-time initiative that serves many low-income and multilingual students. Materials presented at the meeting showed that 87 percent of EBB participants qualify for free or reduced-price meals, 62 percent are English learners, 41 percent identify as Black and 41 percent identify as Hispanic or Latino.

Why it matters: Council members repeatedly pressed staff and MCPS officials for clearer data on who is being served and how…