David Stein, a veteran math teacher at Montgomery Blair High School in Silver Spring, Maryland, is the president-elect of the Montgomery County Education Association and said incoming school superintendent Thomas Taylor has “a big job” ahead of him.
Taylor’s first task should include tackling a “trust deficit,” said Stein, explaining that relations between former leadership at the central office of Montgomery County Public Schools, teachers and the public have been strained over the past year.
In February, former Superintendent Monifa McKnight stepped down and left with a $1.3 million separation agreement after first declaring publicly that she would fight to keep her job.
There was also tension between the Board of Education and the Montgomery County Council over the school system’s budget process. Then, just over a week ago, came the sudden departure of the school system’s chief operating officer, Brian Hull, who left the job June 14.
Stein said a focus on “transparency with the unions, with the county council, with the communities and the families is going to be really important as we put together a budget for this coming year.”
Byron Johns, who chairs the Education Committee of Montgomery County’s NAACP chapter and is co-founder of the Black and Brown Coalition for Educational Equity and Excellence, said there’s been turmoil within the school system over the past year.
“I’m certainly looking for the musical chairs to stop,” Johns said. “We’ve had a rough year with a lot of distractions that seemed to go on and on and on.”
When it comes to academics, “There’s a lot tackle,” said Stein. He said a recently-adopted early literacy reading program at the elementary level is “showing a lot of promise,” although, “I think we have a lot of work to do there.”
Johns agreed there must be a focus on literacy.
“Reading scores are not where a school district of this caliber needs to be,” Johns said.
He noted the millions of dollars poured into literacy coaching to counter learning loss during the pandemic.
“That’s got to show results, or you start questioning whether that’s the strategy,” Johns said. “Reading opens the door to everything else.”
Both men expressed optimism over the appointment of Taylor, whose background includes an MBA as well as decades in education. Stein said of Taylor, “He’s an MCPS product, Montgomery County born and bred, and he seems committed to increasing the level of transparency that is really going to be necessary.”
Taylor is wrapping up his job as superintendent in Stafford County, Virginia, and once confirmed, would begin as MCPS superintendent on July 1.
Taylor’s appointment as superintendent would be contingent on final negotiation of an employment agreement and the written approval of the Maryland state superintendent, something required by state law.
Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.
© 2024 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.
