Hello! I’m Rebekah, the chair of the new committee for Regional Program Centers. I want to invite you all to subscribe to the listserv for this new committee. I hope it will become a valuable resource for sharing information about the new regional program centers. You can subscribe by sending a request to regional-program-centers+subscribe@mccpta.groups.io.

I look forward to answering questions and bringing your suggestions to MCPS!

MCCPTA is currently planning for a listening session to be led by a Maryland delegate that would include legislators, Board members, candidates, and MCPS leaders. The focus of the listening session would be to: 1) hear parent concerns about screen use in school; and 2) make practical recommendations to MCPS to address excessive and harmful screen use.

Please complete a BRIEF survey to help us collect some basic data about Chromebook access at your school and your support for a list of recommendations. You can also share this survey with friends who may like to join!

Complete the SURVEY SUPPORTING SCREEN USE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR MCPS

(SBS-MCPS, MCCPTA Tech Committee)

Deadline: September 30

Dear PTA colleagues,

MCPS’s capital budget is on a 6-year cycle, reviewed in full every two years. This means, for example, that if the County Council approves a $1.8 billion budget, only $300,000,000 is available in a given year for construction projects, system replacements, building improvements, and the like. Watch for training on the Capital Improvements Program (CIP) later this fall.

Today, let’s focus on the 6-year part of the CIP. While that can feel like a long time if the project at your school is scheduled for the later years, with a portfolio the size of MCPS’s (224 buildings), it’s important to also take a longer view and consider what needs shold be expected in 10-15 years and even further into the future. Regulation FAA-RA, which guides the processes for Educational Facilities Planning, includes a provision for a Facilities Advisory Committee (FAC) to make suggestions about that long-term planning (see section IX.D. on p. 13 at the link).

This FAC has been dormant for many years, but the upcoming MCPS real estate portfolio review and advocacy by some of our highly-engaged MCCPTA CIP leaders of past years has motivated MCPS to re-constitute the committee. They want to tap into the wealth of experience and knowledge that members of the Montgomery County community have regarding long-term facility planning issues and strategies. Indeed, the FAC has the potential to be an effective group and perhaps a source of long-range expertise and advice for MCPS.

For the first two years of the FAC’s re-existence (i.e., during the real estate portfolio review and elementary boundary study), the committee may meet as often as monthly. In the future, the commitment will likely be for a quarterly meeting. The initial term of service is for the 2026-27 school year.

Please share this opportunity with your networks, especially folks who work in any aspect of real estate, construction, environmental, or transportation/logistics careers. The blurb distributed by MCPS is below my signature. The direct link to the application is here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScSF3-tHBGn4c0rkx0tUZVihyqlcvh1-q17Yv48h56LZtuj5A/viewform . Submissions close on Friday, September 4.

If you have questions, please feel free to reach out to me and/or to Joseph Finneran, MCCPTA’s Data Subcommittee chair, cipdata@mccpta.org or joseph@podiumarts.com .

Thanks,

Amy A-H

Amy Ackerberg-Hastings, PhD

Interim CIP Chair

(as well as hopefully soon-outgoing MCCPTA Central Area Vice-President)

301-275-4019

cip@mccpta.org

Help Shape the Future of MCPS School Facilities

MCPS is seeking community members to serve on the Facility Advisory Committee for the 2026-2027 school year. Committee members will share their knowledge, experience and perspectives to help inform long-term planning for MCPS school facilities. Members of this committee will advise MCPS on a variety of topics related to the community’s vision for school facilities and planning that are outside the six-year Capital Improvements Program (CIP) time frame, but that may require attention in the 10-15 year time frame or beyond.

If you’re interested in helping shape the future of MCPS facilities, complete the application by Friday, Sept. 4.

Dear PTA Members,

At the last Board of Directors meeting, MCCPTA approved forming a special committee on Regional Programs.

We are seeking volunteers from each of the six regions to participate in this committee. Cluster coordinators, PTSA board members, and community members are welcome to participate.

This committee will meet twice per month: one monthly meeting with MCPS staff to discuss regional program implementation plans, and one meeting of committee staff to debrief and develop materials about the regional programs to share with local PTAs and other MCCPTA committees.

The goals of the committee are:

• Two-way communication with MCPS about planning, implementation, and evaluation of programs under the new regional model
• Collecting and disseminating information for MCCPTA and local PTAs so they can provide support for programs in their schools
• Gathering feedback about programs from local PTAs to share with MCPS, and to inform the work of curriculum, CIP, technology, and other MCCPTA committees
• Advocate for accountability and data transparency to ensure programs across regions are comparable in enrichment opportunities, course offerings, curriculum used, and instructional quality.

If you are interested in volunteering for the Committee on Regional Programs, email Rebekah Kuschmider at einstein2@mccpta.org.

Rebekah Kuschmider,
Einstein Cluster Coordinator
Delegate, AEHS