Back to School: Enrollment Up, Start Times Moved Back, Superintendent Search Resumes
Montgomery County students head back to school on Aug. 31 and there may be more students in our district than ever before.
Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) officials expect to welcome 156,654 students, an enrollment increase of more than 2,800 students over last year, according to MCPS Spokesperson Dana Tofig.
So what else is new this year?
– Bell times: Secondary schools start and end 20 minutes later; Elementary school start 10 minutes later and end 20 minutes later.
– The new Student-to-Educator Program (STEP) is launching this year, with a cohort of about 25 students.
– Chromebooks will be rolled out to all fourth grade classrooms and to about 150 seventh grade classrooms.
– The Board of Education will conduct a search for a new superintendent this year. The plan is for the search to ramp up this fall.
– End-of-semester, two-hour exams in middle school courses have been eliminated. On Sept. 8th, the Board of Education will consider policy changes that would allow similar changes in high schools.
– There are certified athletic trainers at each of the 25 high schools.
– MCPS will roll out a new six-year Capital Improvements Program (CIP) this year to try to address the space needs of the district.
More than 8,000 people attended the Back to School Fair on Saturday.
Finally, schools officials and local police are reminding all of us about the importance of back-to-school safety.
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