Public commenters urge more arts funding, repairs for instruments and facility fixes; others press for restorative practices and ASL in middle schools

At the March 18 meeting, 17 speakers addressed the board during public comment and a set of recorded testimonies were played. Commenters raised multiple substantive concerns including arts funding and instrument repair, the physical condition of some school buildings, the need to expand restorative practices, and a request to offer American Sign Language (ASL) as a world language option in middle schools.

Arts and instruments: - Several parents and students said instrumental music programs are underfunded. Melissa Regan, a parent and advocate for instrumental music, said MCPS has “just under 24,000 students enrolled in music classes” and that annual funding covers “about 25% of what’s needed.” She described roughly $100,000 in repair backlog and urged a recurring funding plan for instrument purchases and repairs (testimony at 3127.245–3244.56). - Lee Senger, speaking with her son William, said high-cost instruments (William’s tenor sax example at about $3,500) create barriers and flagged a $20,000 funding gap for repairs at Whitman High School; she urged the district to address instrument availability so students do not have to share instruments across class periods (testimony at 2443.405–2555.53; 2485.72–2549.13). - Board members suggested an instrument-audit and highlighted the county’s Educational Foundation campaign “Help Me Make Music” as a community partner for collecting and repairing donated instruments (discussion at 4540.6304–4614.435).

Facility conditions and health concerns: - Nancy McInerney, PTA president at New Hampshire Estates Elementary, described mold, ceiling tile failures and poor HVAC performance in that school and displayed images described in her testimony. She said art and music rooms had no heat or AC for months and urged MCPS to prioritize remediation, citing teacher health concerns (testimony at 3911.0151–4033.5). - A student, Natalie Dominguez Perez (eighth grader at Argyle Middle School), urged that her aging 54-year-old school building be rebuilt, citing persistent air-quality, temperature control and ventilation problems that impair learning (testimony at 2601.4602–2689.5398).

Restorative practices and student discipline: - Jordy Diaz, an organizer with Young People for Progress and a former MCPS student, said Black and Latino students face disproportionate discipline and arrests and urged the district to expand restorative approaches (RA). Diaz cited local suspension and arrest disparity statistics and urged RA training for administrators before the school year, RA integration into improvement plans and accountability for consistent RA use (testimony at 2308.085–2438.6).

Other comments: - A middle-school student and the president of an ASL honor society pressed the board to offer American Sign Language as a recognized world language option in middle schools so students can pursue ASL earlier than high school (testimony at 2856.77–2986.405). - SEIU equity training specialists Dina Cooney and Edwin Hernandez testified about proposed elimination of specific SEIU roles in the upcoming budget and urged restoration of positions that the union says ensure equity voice and expertise is included in district professional learning (testimony at 2046.3251–2176.2; 2991.42–3123.3452).

Board response and next steps: Board members acknowledged the concerns and asked staff to follow up, notably requesting an audit of instruments and repairs, outreach on program and boundary study engagement, and visits to New Hampshire Estates Elementary to assess the reported mold concerns. Staff said they would coordinate follow-up actions and post further information on the district site and through community outreach channels.

Ending: Public comments underscored program- and facilities-related inequities across the district; the board committed to follow-up reports and to returning key items (instrument audit, facility remediation status, and program analysis Q&A) for future discussion.