Superintendent Byrd announces $400,000 special education gap grants, transitional team and district accreditation

Superintendent Doctor Byrd told the Montgomery County Board of Education on June 8 that Montgomery Public Schools (MPS) received $400,000 in gap grant funding to support special education programs. The funding will be distributed as approximately $200,000 each to Derrida Elementary School and Von Road Elementary School to expand specialized instructional programs and services for students with disabilities.

Doctor Byrd said MPS was the only district in the state to receive two individual school awards and to be granted the maximum allowable amount per school in the first round of grant applications. The superintendent said the grant will fund classroom resources including a touch math curriculum, sensory regulation spaces, instructional manipulatives and adaptive equipment, and professional development for staff.

The superintendent also outlined plans for a transitional team to review major district components and recommend short-term and long-term actions. Doctor Byrd said about 50 individuals had been nominated to the transition team and identified Dr. Sheila Austin (retired dean, Auburn University, as announced) and Dr. Walton Gosselin (national superintendent of the year and superintendent of Justin County Schools) to serve as chair and vice-chair. The first planning meeting for the transitional team is scheduled for mid-July.

Finally, Doctor Byrd announced that Montgomery Public Schools received districtwide Columbia accreditation. He thanked staff and board members for participation in the accreditation process and said the designation reflects the district's progress.

Why this matters: The gap grants target special education services at two elementary schools and include both capital (spaces/equipment) and programmatic (curriculum, PD) elements. The transitional team and accreditation actions signal district-level strategic planning and external validation.

Attribution and context: Doctor Byrd described the grant award and transitional-team plan during his superintendent remarks. The transcript notes the grant is a collaboration between federal programs and special education and that each named school will receive about $200,000.

What the board asked: Board members asked brief scheduling clarifications about planned transitional-team meetings and congratulated the superintendent on the accreditation news. No formal board action was required to accept the announcements.