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MCPS leaders say reorganization will put specialists in schools to boost reading, math and equity
Summary
Montgomery County Public Schools officials told the Education & Culture Committee that a central-office reorganization has placed cross-functional teams closer to schools to reduce layers, speed responses and align services with school improvement plans; leaders emphasized student achievement and accountability as primary success measures.
Montgomery County Public Schools leaders told the County Council’s Education & Culture Committee that a major central-office reorganization has restructured leadership and created cross-functional teams meant to deliver more direct, school-focused support.
“Central to this effort are the cross functional teams consisting of staff from a number of different areas with expertise collaborating to address the specific needs of the students in each school,” Doug Prouty, senior legislative analyst, said as he introduced the item. Ms. McGuire, who led the reorganization presentation, said the plan reduced layers in central office and sought to make central services “very present in the schools.”
Dr. Moran described the teams in operational detail: curriculum specialists, literacy and math coaches, special-education instructional coordinators, equity instructional specialists, professional-learning/restorative-justice staff, an HR staffing coordinator and a cluster security coordinator are assigned to school clusters and expected to be on-site most of the week. “We’ve committed to those individuals being on school sites, 80% of the week,” Dr. Moran said.
The goal, MCPS leaders said, is threefold: speed up response times by giving schools named points of contact, align cross-functional work with each school’s improvement plan and create shared accountability so progress for a school is measured both by school staff and by the central team supporting it.
Officials told council members every employee displaced by the reorganization was offered a placement. Ms. McGuire acknowledged disruption among staff but said the district was able to provide positions for those who were displaced.
Council members pressed for how the district will measure success. MCPS leaders said student achievement in literacy and math will be the primary metric, supplemented by perceptual data from principals and teachers and weekly team reviews. “The effectiveness of these teams will be determined upon how we see students progress,” Dr. Moran said.
On equity and restorative justice, MCPS said the chief of equity has elevated equity instructional specialists into cross-functional teams, and the district preserved most restorative-justice specialists while providing summer professional learning to bring newer staff up to speed. MCPS also said it distributed a hate-bias protocol to principals and has established routines to monitor incidents and follow up.
Council members raised concerns about building conditions at the Carver Center, noting reports of mold and rodents. MCPS said assessments and remediation plans are underway, that Grosvenor Holding School serves as an alternate work location for affected offices and that remediation will proceed in phases to allow partial reoccupation where appropriate.
The committee did not take any formal votes. MCPS leaders said they will return with ongoing updates and data on student outcomes, staff and principal perceptual measures, and implementation adjustments as the district continues to refine the model.
