Montgomery County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Thomas W. Taylor has released a new facilities strategy as part of the district’s Proposed Capital Improvements Program (CIP) for Fiscal Years 2027 through 2032. The presentation, titled “Building Our MCPS Forward: Hard Truths About Our School Buildings and How We’ll Fix Them,” outlines a data-driven plan to repair, replace, and modernize aging school buildings while addressing fiscal and enrollment challenges.
MCPS leaders acknowledge that the condition of the county’s 238 school buildings is worsening faster than funding can keep up. Nearly two-thirds of MCPS schools, or 162 buildings, are more than 25 years old, and more than $740 million in projects are overdue, including 40 HVAC systems that are not functioning properly. Adding to the challenge, the district is experiencing a projected enrollment decline of about 2,600 students for the 2025-2026 school year, leaving the same large inventory of schools to maintain with fewer students and fewer dollars. The six-year, $2.704 billion CIP request represents only about half of the $5.2 billion MCPS estimates is necessary to bring all facilities up to standard.
The top-priority rebuilds based on the new data framework include Eastern Middle School, Damascus High School, Piney Branch Elementary, Burning Tree Elementary, Cold Spring Elementary, and Highland View Elementary. In Silver Spring, the plan calls for rebuilding and expanding Eastern and Sligo Middle Schools, then closing Silver Spring International Middle School (SSIMS) in 2031. Students from SSIMS would be reassigned to the other two schools, and the SSIMS building would later serve as a temporary holding school for future renovation projects. Other proposed replacements include Sligo Creek Elementary School in Silver Spring. Meanwhile, Damascus Elementary, Twinbrook Elementary in Rockville, and Whetstone Elementary in Gaithersburg would be removed from the current CIP construction schedule.
The proposed plan abandons older, piecemeal approaches to school construction, referred to as “chasing capacity” and “sprinkling” small projects across many schools, in favor of six new strategic priorities. These include incrementally growing investment over 20 years to achieve equilibrium between needs and funding, focusing on full replacements or renewals rather than partial fixes, and prioritizing projects based on measurable data, with 50 percent weighting for building condition and 25 percent for educational adequacy. The plan also calls for improving system-wide facilities, including a new Central Services Headquarters to replace the Carver Educational Services Center; upgrading and expanding holding schools such as Silver Spring International, Fairland, Grosvenor, North Lake, and Radnor Centers to accommodate displaced students during construction; and ensuring all projects are built efficiently, on time, and within budget.
The proposal also includes $521.4 million for HVAC and roof replacements and $303.8 million for other infrastructure renewal projects over the six-year period. These investments aim to improve the day-to-day learning environment and extend the lifespan of existing schools. The Board of Education is scheduled to vote on the superintendent’s recommendation in November, with multiple public hearings planned to gather community feedback. The full “Building Our MCPS Forward” presentation can be seen here.
