Montgomery County schools embed anti‑racist audit into new strategic plan; officials vow clearer accountability

Council Vice President Giordano opened the Education and Culture Committee meeting Jan. 30 by reminding attendees that Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) began an anti‑racist audit in 2020 and that the council and community expect action on its findings. Doug Prouty, the council’s senior budget and policy analyst, said the committee would hear how audit recommendations are being incorporated into the district’s new strategic plan and get updates on implementation progress.

Why it matters: The anti‑racist audit identified wide variation in how best practices are applied across schools. County and school officials said embedding the audit’s cross‑domain recommendations into MCPS’s strategic plan is intended to make implementation consistent rather than piecemeal.

MCPS presenters described a multi‑phase strategic‑planning process that they said is designed to translate audit findings into measurable goals and school‑level actions. Dr. Alston (role not specified in the transcript) told the committee the district used Phase 1 engagement feedback and a Phase 2 root‑cause analysis to draft…