October 14, 2025 | Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA) General Meeting Minutes

Meeting slides: 2025.10 – PTSA General Meeting

Link to meeting minutes from last General Membership Meeting: 2025.09.09 | PTSA General Meeting Minutes

Attendees: 

TPMS PTSA Board: Erin Martin, Summer Smith, Emily Modde, Jesse Loznak, Chris Campbell, Becca Jones-Albertus, Heather Brown – Palsgrove, Monisha Shah, Mic Murphy, and Ramata Diop.

At 7:18 there were 76 members participating in the Zoom call, including the Board, community members, and students.  

Meeting Minutes

Welcome

Chris Campbell, VP of Communications, opened the meeting and welcomed members of the TPMS community and students. He encouraged people to use the chat to ask questions, and members of the Board will do their best to answer them during the meeting. He outlined the meeting agenda and reintroduced the Board to the community. Chris noted that we still need a VP for Fundraising (if you are interested, please reach out to TPMS.PTA.president@gmail.com). 

Upcoming Events

There are many events offered at TPMS. For the most up-to-date information, check out the school calendar here: https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/takomaparkms/calendar-index/ :  

Upcoming TPMS events:

October 

October 16: Vaccination Clinic (2:00 pm – 8:00 pm)* 

October 16: MOCOCAP Career Advising Lesson*

October 17: No School

October 20: No School

October 22: Cross Country Meet @TPMS (3:30 pn)

October 24:  Last day to submit assignments

October 27 – 29: Grade 7 Finance Park Simulation

October 30: Grade 8 Annapolis Field Trip

October 31: End of Marking Period 1

*more info on these events here: https://app.smore.com/n/gjwx6

November 

November 5:  Student photo make-up day

November 12: Next PTSA meeting IN PERSON 

November 17: SpED workshop on Transition Services workshop  

TBD:  Parent Teacher Conferences

Information on Survey Data From the Last PTSA Meeting. 

Emily Modde, PTSA President, presented the survey data we collected during our last meeting. She presented ranked survey results of what members wanted from the PTSA:

• Upcoming events and key issues at TPMS
• Updates from Ms Martin and the school administration
• Upcoming changes in MCPS
• Opportunities to share ideas and concerns for the PTSA
• Spaces to build connections with other TPMS families
• Volunteer opportunities at TPMS
• Discussions on community needs
• General parenting education

Additional topics that were brought to the PTSA include (note these are not in rank order):

• Mental Health topics (eg.emotional changes)
• Understanding how the DCC works for HS
• Insights into curriculum (esp if changes)
• Technology issues – too many platforms, how do we use them?!
• Boundary and Programming study
• Enrichment opportunities
• Bus Sched / Transportation issues
• SSL opportunities: How parents can help
• Ensuring an inclusive environment, and school culture, building community
• Resources for the unexpected needs created from recent DC  area disruptions
• Online and media safety

Emily noted that during this PTSA meeting we will discuss some of the topics and we have left time at the end for open questions/answers. As we continue to meet, the PTSA Board will continue to cover topics that are important to our community. If you have additional ideas, please reach out: TPMS.PTA.president@gmail.com.

Putting the “S” in PTSA

Monisha Shah, Co-Executive VP, explained that the Board really heard from our members at our last meeting that we should really engage the “S – Student” in PTSA and make that partnership stronger. One of our first steps is to work with the Principal’s Advisory Council (Council) to bring their voices to the PTSA. The Board will also reach out to other groups at the school and other students who have individually joined the PTSA.

Mr. Loznak, Principal Intern, said that the Council students have been working on how to make STRIVE time better. Mr. Joznak welcomed the students who joined the meeting tonight. He asked a few students why they wanted to be members of the Council. Bralin said that he wanted to join the Council because he has ideas that will make school better including adding sports teams to make school more fun. Anushka wanted to join the Council to have a close knit group to work with Ms. Martin and Mr. Loznak to share ideas to help improve the school. She’s excited to work directly with them on issues that can only be fixed by students. She also said that as a current student, she’s excited to help students for many more years at TPMS. 

Mr. Loznak then asked about the mission of the Council. What is it that student members want to get out of this and what do they want the Council to do? Saron said that her mission was for students to get their voices heard, especially related to STRIVE. She said it’s important to make sure everyone is included. Khaia said her main idea of what the Council is for is to understand the unique backgrounds of students and to bring everyone together to make decisions – that many people should be involved in decisions being made at the school. She said that as an 8th grader who has been at the school for 2 years, she has a view on how to make the school better. 

Mr. Loznak presented the last question to the Council Students: what ideas do you have for putting “S: in PTSA: Chloe said that the biggest idea discussed at the last Council meeting was to add bigger activities at the school. Things like expanding the selling of merch and lanyards. She said that a lot of students don’t have time to buy things before school starts. She added that things like pep rallies, poms/dance, food trucks, and general student excitement for school sports events would be great. STRIVE themes could also be incorporated, including wearing House colors or sitting with your House. She also mentioned fundraisers and prizes for winning including a day of doing House activities on a day that isn’t normally a STRIVE day or spending the day one-on-one with a teacher. Elliot said there are multiple ways to incorporate student’s voices into the PTSA and these activities would benefit students. For example, if students have an interest they join an after school activity. They join because they are interested in something. For the PTSA, there needs to be a reason why they should join. He said that the voices of students need to be more present in the PTSA. He also mentioned that for many students, SSL hours are an important reason why they show up and get involved. He suggested making sure that students know about what the PTSA does and that they can. Willa said that there is a lot of important information that is shared with students, but it’s sometimes hard to process it. For example, there is a lot of important information brought to students in STRIVE, but there isn’t a place to process it. She would like to see more interaction. Mr. Loznak said they will continue to work with the Council and will report back in the future. He thanked the student who came to talk today.

Ms. Martin also thanked the students who joined the meeting and offered the Board and community feedback. For some context, she said that the staff does a lot of planning for students – instruction, afterschool activities, and other activities. The default is to engage with adults and we hope that things hit well with students. Things are happening for them, but also to them and their voice hasn’t been part of the process. The dive and passion for the Council is to get their views and hear their voices. The big areas include: “S” in PTSA; STRIVE advisory – making it more engaging; collecting ideas and feedback on what’s happening in the building (one takeaway from the Council students’ applications was “adults are old and don’t know how to work the channels that kids can relate to”); and looking for their voices to elevate the planning process for activities. Emily thanked everyone for their ideas and being here tonight. 

Membership Drive Update

Heather Brown-Palsgrove, VP of Membership, shared that we met our fundraising goal by 100%. Our membership goal was four times our previous fundraising goals and we met it! Heather thanked Rahel Allison, TPMS mom, who gave her advice on how to better run the campaign. Heather also thanked others who helped us reach our goal. The PTSA now makes up 20% of the TPMS population. She presented slides on who our members are (teachers and staff; parents and caregivers; students). We also did a friendly competition with the Houses to see who could sign up the most members. Triumph House won!

Please use this form to give us feedback on how the fundraising campaign went from your perspective. Feedback form. brownpalsgrovefamily@gmail.com can yo add the form?

Budget Update

Mic Murphy, Treasurer, presented the 2025-2026 budget update. He presented what will be supported by PTSA this year:

• Mini-grants to Teachers and Staff to Enrich Curriculum 
• Welcome Picnic Potluck
• 6th Grade Outdoor Ed Reptile Man
• 7th Grade Family Winter Social
• 8th Grade Family Winter Social 
• 8th Grade Promotion Dance
• 8th Grade Promotion
• Student Dances
• 3x Heritage Month Enrichment Performances
• International Multicultural Night Event
• Books & Basketball Community Building Event
• We Shine Night 
• Speakers and Presenters
• Music Program
• Teacher & Staff Appreciation Events and Meals
• Teacher & Staff Professional Development Augmentation Materials
• …And A Whole Lot More!

He also presented our expense categories and a high level on the major PTSA incomes and expenses. 

Income (money the PTSA brings in)

Member Donations

• Our largest source of income. Successful 2025 membership drive reduces pressure on fundraising. Thank you members!

Fundraising

• e.g., Silent Auction, Bake Sales.
• Still need to raise ~$6k to meet budget target

Program Revenue

• e.g., Books and Basketball, 8th Grade dance

Grants and Reimbursements

Expenses (money the PTSA spends)

PTA Objectives

• This is where the bulk of spending goes to ~$13k budgeted for 25-26
• e.g., Mini-grants, staff appreciation, Music Department, staff development

Event Sponsorship

• About ~$9k budgeted for event sponsorship 
• e.g., Heritage Month performances, Outdoor Ed (Reptiles), Student dance, welcome picnic and lots more.

PTA Expenses

• Operating expenses. E.g., Insurance, Website, software etc.,
• Organizational expenses. E.g., bank fees
• Fundraising expenses.

Mic then gave an overview of the 2025-2026 budget:

Summer Smith, PTSA Secretary, asked for someone to propose we pass the 2025-2026 PTSA Budget. Becca Jones-Albertus (Co-Executive VP) proposed the budget be passed. Chris Campbell (VP of Communications) seconded the motion. Summer then asked members to give a “green check – yes” reaction if they agreed we should pass the budget. She then asked if anyone objected using the “X – no” react button or to come off mute to verbally object. At the time of the vote, there were 70 members of the PTSA, including members, the Board, and students. There were no objections, and the 2025-2026 budget passed. 

PTSA Board Needs

Becca Jones-Albertus, Co-Executive VP, presented current open roles:

• Financial Review: Need 3 volunteers for review of PTSA finances due in October
• VP of Fundraising 
• Grant Writer

Please contact Becca if you are interested in any of these roles (beccaj@gmail.com) 

Boundary and Programming Study Information

Emily opened the discussion of the Boundary Study. The TPMS Board strongly encourages everyone to do their own research on this complex topic. Please see the slides (listed at the top of this document for details on what was presented. In addition, please visit the TPMS PTSA website for documents, discussions, and more.

Emily said there is currently an ongoing Boundary Study. This is because there are two new schools opening in MCPS and there needs to be a decision on where students will go. The final decision will happen in Spring 2026. 

There is also another analysis being conducted in MCPS, the Academic Programming Analysis (Analysis). The Analysis will create six regions each with 4 to 5 high school clusters in each. Right now we have three regions, and TPMS is part of the Down County Consortium (DCC). The new Analysis will end the DCC. According to MCCPS, the Analysis is intended to increase access to services to all students across the county. There is currently an issue that some students are able to attend popular schools with highly sought after programs. According to MCCPS, the Analysis will redistribute these programs across the county and offer more students access to these programs. There is also a plan to update the admission process so students can change tracks during high school, if needed. Originally the Boundary Study stood alone. On October 3, the Analysis was attached to the boundary study. 

A few things that the Board has noted: the Boundary Study went through three rounds of review, included many comment periods, and occurred over a year. The Academic Programming Analysis came out of the boundary study (from what we can tell). The Analysis has had no public review or comment. This means that families, students, principals, staff, and others, have not been part of the process.

From our review and others, there are some key pieces of information missing from the Analysis:transportation analysis (how will students move throughout the county); staffing analysis (how will some schools scale up staff, while others scale down staff); financial analysis (what will this cost and how will it be paid for); and feasibility (how will the changes ensure that the quality of programming is maintained in every school). In addition: these decisions impact all our families with students who are part of MCCPS (we all have a vested interest in these decisions); there is no requirement that changes to academic programming be done concurrently with boundary changes (why now, why so fast?); while there is general acknowledgement that exploring changes to programming for better access and admissions movement is good – it needs more time to be designed, shaped, and feasibility of implementation understood (again, why so fast?).

Liz Ryan, TPMS MCCPTA Delegate offered some context on who she is, the role she plays, and what we are looking for from families. Every elementary, middle, and high school in MOCO has a PTA/PTSA. Each of these PTA/PTSA is a hyper local group of people who are focused on their school. They roll up to the MCCPTA which operates much like local PTA/PTSAs with monthly meetings that focus on issues that impact all schools in MOCO. MCCPTA, like our PTSA, is made up of community people who are volunteering their time (they are NOT MCPS). In addition, MCCPTA advocates at the county level for all students and on behalf of local PTA/PTSAs. Liz emphasized that MCCPTA and local PTA/PTSAs have a strong voice. We are the largest parent/guardian/teacher organization and one of the largest public education stakeholders in the county. This is why we are asking for your involvement and attention to this important change being proposed for our schools. 

What are we asking of you? MCCPTA is proposing a resolution to MCPS to basically ask for more time. A resolution is “a position statement on a particular issue either for or against. It must be approved by the Delegates Assembly and be consistent with MCCPTA’s guiding principles. Anyone within MCCPTA or within any local PTA/PTSA unit can put forth a call for a resolution.”

So what does the current MCCPTA resolution say? Well, it’s long and complicated (please read it yourself here: MCCPTA Draft Resolution: More Time for Programs Analysis). It basically asks MCPS to slow down the process and give students, families, staff, more time to provide input and understand what is going to change. 

Why are we asking for more time? According to MCCPTA, MCPS does not have a strong record of success with regional programs. In addition, there is a lack of a comprehensive proposal being put to the community. For example, the information MCPS has shared to date lacks: full cost analyses, stated educational outcomes and metrics for “success,” regional programs transportation study, curriculum development, robust staffing and training plan, safeguards to ensure each region will have comparable programs with equivalent quality, evidential data to support the regional interest level in the chosen programs, and plan to ensure proportionate seat availability between regions. Further, MCCPTA says that MCPS has not appropriately engaged students, staff, and community stakeholders for input and feedback and that there are questions around procedures related to BOE policies and MCPS regulations (more info: Resolution FAQs). 

What’s next? From October 3 – October 28: Delegates engage their communities (this meeting and more information to come from our PTSA Board), solicit feedback, and submit proposed revisions to resolution language. October 29: Delegates Assembly meeting @ 7PM where all local PTA Presidents, Delegates, and MCCPTA Board of Directors are invited to review the resolution language and vote on the resolution.

What happens if the motion is passed? If it passes, it will have the weight of the full MCCPTA. The MCCPTA will then have a large backing to formally ask MCPS Superintendent, Board of Education, and the County Council to pause the study. Note bringing it to the County Council is not something that usually happens (they are being included because they are the ones who will have to fund the BOE). There’s a good chance this will make the news and generate press. 

What else? Even with so much uncertainty, it is thought that current 8th graders will be able to complete whatever program they attend as 9th graders. However, the resources that are allocated to those schools will change. The schools will lose critical funding as resources are reallocated. One thing that most of us want is to ensure students across the county can access classes that not all students currently have access to. We want all the great things that MCCPS has to offer to be available to everyone. That’s why the MCCPTA is asking for more time to make sure critical questions are answered. 

What now? We, as a Board, know this is a lot. We hope we have given you a high level of the basis of what is going on. We encourage families to review the proposals, watch presentations from MCPS, and get involved. We provide all links to all the information we have on our website, and encourage you to do what is right for your families.There are additional webinars scheduled, information and dates can be found in links on our website. https://www.tpmspta.org/mcps-boundary-programming-study/

Please provide us feedback so we can make sure TPMS PTSA thoughts are being brought to the MCCPTA.  We created a new WhatsApp group for discussion around this important topic. 

Liz added that there is no current plan for how the new schools will be allocated. In addition, there would be no more magnet program at TPMS, and there is no replacement for the DCC. A lot of the confusion is because there is no full plan. During the MCCPS Meetings, the MCCPS Board controls the questions they are answering. It is thought they are doing this so they can control the narrative. This means that it’s hard to understand what the true questions are coming from the community. Someone asked in the chat about the impact of ARS. Ms. Martin said that she doesn’t have any additional besides what is being given to the community. 

Open Q&A with Ms. Martin and the PTSA

Emily asked if there were any other topics that people wanted to discuss. One member said that their family has been impacted at Wood Middle School, with the tragic death of a student last week. She asked if there was any discussion of this at the principal level. Ms. Martin said that principals are working to support the school. No additional guidance has been provided around student transition from home to school and back. She said that the TPMS administration team and Emily have been working with The City of Takoma Park Police to assess the situation at the school. Last week, instead of walk and roll to school day, the school took a more thoughtful approach on how students get to school. One difficulty is having one parking lot with two access points where everyone comes together. Ms. Martin said they continue to find solutions for our community as students come and go to school. Another member asked about the preference survey for HS for 8th grade. The message says before you open, make sure you read this. Emily said that she thinks you can complete the form many times, and Ms. Martin said to check with the counselor. 

At 8:32 Emily closed the meeting. She thanked everyone for attending and said all information will be shared tomorrow.