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Public commenters press MCPS on paraeducator training, Carver building health, payroll and program relocations
Summary
During the Sept. 4 public-comment period speakers urged the Montgomery County Board of Education to fund paid paraeducator training, remediate mold and air-quality problems at the Carver Education Services Center, fix payroll errors affecting support staff, and provide a permanent plan for relocating the Blair Ewing program to Northlake.
Seven people spoke during the board’s public-comment period on Sept. 4, raising a cluster of personnel, facilities and program concerns for Montgomery County Public Schools.
Student Asha Telbergata, a senior at Walt Whitman High School, urged the district to invest in paid, structured training for paraeducators who work in self-contained special education classrooms. "Paraeducators who work in self contained special education programs are some of the most selfless and caring individuals you could ever meet," she said, and told the board that new hires "often don't know how to react when a student goes into crisis mode" without targeted training.
Central services leaders described what they called unsafe working conditions at the Carver Education Services Center. Christine Handy said staff report recurring black mold, inadequate ventilation, and skin rashes and respiratory problems linked to the building. "People should not have to choose between doing their jobs and protecting their health," Handy told the board and asked that Carver be included in the superintendent's capital improvements program budget.
Pia Morrison, president of SEIU Local 500, told the board that recent payroll delays and errors hit support staff hard. She said payroll inaccuracies have left some workers facing fees or eviction and urged MCPS to restore staffing specialists in human resources who, she said, previously helped prevent hiring and payroll problems.
Speakers also raised school program concerns: community members objected to relocating the Blair Ewing program to Northlake Elementary and asked the district to develop a permanent capital plan and budget for the program by fiscal 2027. Charlotte Cook and other neighbors questioned whether Northlake is suitable for older students and said they had not received sufficient information about the move. Catherine Savilico, a parent with children in Poolesville’s humanities magnet, urged the board to preserve existing countywide magnet criteria and to pause a proposed six-region reorganization to allow more study.
Music teacher Ted McAllister urged continued support for music programs, citing staffing and instrument-repair shortfalls and asking the district to protect and expand the visual and performing arts resources.
Board and superintendent responses: Superintendent Taylor acknowledged the payroll problems and said the district was "hoping to have our payment issues resolved" and to provide financial support to those affected "within the next couple of weeks." Several board members thanked speakers, acknowledged facility and payroll concerns, and asked staff to provide additional information on facilities condition index (FCI) scores and remediation plans, instrument-repair capacity, and special-education training for paraeducators.
What happened next: Board members said many of the issues would be carried into ongoing planning and budget discussions. Several asked staff to prepare follow-up information for the board, including FCI scores for Northlake and Carver and options for paraeducator onboarding and training.
No formal board action was taken during public comment; the matters were discussed by the superintendent and board members and slated for follow-up.
