Parents and advocates urge MCPS to create a synchronous virtual school; district says budget excludes full virtual school for FY26

Several speakers testified during public comment that Montgomery County Public Schools should establish a full‑time, synchronous virtual school to serve students who cannot attend brick‑and‑mortar classes because of medical, social or other barriers.

Advocates argued that MCPS already uses virtual coursework for enrichment but does not offer a fully realized virtual school with full‑time teachers, administrators and a connected learning community. A parent and advocate said the state’s per‑pupil funding model would allow a local virtual school to operate using existing per‑pupil allocations and that Maryland law permits local districts to establish virtual schools outside of state‑run options.

"If this budget is truly about filling gaps and meeting needs, the absence of the virtual school is a fatal oversight," said one advocate, urging the board to use the FY26 process to fund a pilot or full program.

District staff noted that the FY26 budget proposal currently before the board does not include funding for a full virtual school and said the system already leverages virtual tools for enrichment and course access. Officials encouraged advocates to work with staff on a detailed program design and cost estimate that could be considered during budget deliberations.

Ending

Board members heard the appeals but took no action; staff said the budget does not currently include a full virtual school and invited advocates to provide design details for future consideration.