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 "unique visits" and enrollment figures are counted. "We just wanna know what the impediments are, get behind the data, and then have a follow-up session non-budget to dig into that," Councilman Friesen said, calling for a staged approach that first inventories what is being collected and why, then moves to a geographic gap analysis.

MCPS staff and community-school leaders described steps already under way to improve data sharing. Hope McGuire, supervisor of community schools for Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS), told the committee that MCPS and Montgomery County Recreation are finalizing an umbrella memorandum of understanding (MOU) and a data-sharing agreement intended to cover Excel Beyond the Bell, Rec Zone, Rec Extra, Camp Rec and other Recreation programs that run in schools. "We are at the finish line with the umbrella MOU between Montgomery County Rec and Montgomery County Public Schools... and we should have that in place before we start next school year in July," McGuire said.

MCPS program staff also described how many local out-of-school-time programs are grant-funded and use external evaluators. The MCPS out-of-school-time coordinator described multiple grants used to expand programming and noted external evaluation of grant-funded sites; one staff speaker said four grants totaling roughly $1.2 million over three years are supporting current sites. Program managers highlighted outreach and parent-engagement activities tied to EBB sites and described partnerships with local organizations that provide tutoring, arts and mentoring.

What leaders asked for: Several council members urged a joint committee meeting after the budget process and before the August recess to review data definitions, metrics and a proposed gap analysis that maps which students and neighborhoods lack access to year-round or consistent programming. Councilwoman Maybelle and others asked that future briefings clearly separate the count of "unique visits" from the number of distinct students served and show program frequency and hours (for example, summer-only offerings versus year-round daily programs).

Council action and next steps: The committee moved forward the executive's request for the two-site expansion and the program manager without objection; staff noted a program manager would be needed even for a single-site expansion. Committee chairs and staff agreed to schedule a follow-up session in July to review the finalized MOU and more detailed, standardized data reports, and to work toward a coordinated countywide reporting approach that includes grant-funded and non-grant-funded programs.

Clarifying details and funding: The packet cited a $688,246 line item for the elementary expansions and a separate request for a program manager position. MCPS staff referenced four grant awards of approximately $400,000 each (three-year grants) that support some of the expanded programming. Staff said a prior, broader study of programming encompassed "over 20,000" participants, and committee members asked that future reporting make clear whether counts reflect program slots, unique students, or individual visits.

The discussion included repeated calls for a geographic gap analysis that distinguishes providers, service frequency and target age groups so county leaders can make evidence-based budget and policy decisions. Committee leaders told staff to circulate materials in advance of the July follow-up meeting so the session can focus on definitions, data sources and next steps for a consolidated reporting system.