MCPS Community Message: A New Beginning / A Letter from Superintendent Dr. McKnight

MCPS superintendent Dr. Monifa McKnight has shared the following letter with the community regarding the start of the 2022-2023 school year:

“Dear MCPS Staff, Students and Community Members:

Each July ushers in an exciting new beginning for our school system. We take advantage of the summer months to launch new opportunities and programs and to carefully plan for how to make progress on our priorities in the year ahead.

We’re hard at work even during the summer. Our two innovative calendar schools, Roscoe R. Nix and Arcola elementaries, began their school year today, July 6; the students at these schools benefit from an additional 30 school days of learning and enrichment. Thousands more students continue learning in our summer programs. We have many staff members beginning new journeys leading and supporting schools and students in critical new roles. And the priorities funded through our Fiscal Year 2023 operating budget now begin.

These efforts all play a critical role in advancing the Board of Education’s strategic plan and my aligned priorities:

• building and rebuilding trust,
• supporting health and social-emotional well-being, and
• refocusing on equitable teaching and learning.

Enhancements
Making our shared priorities a reality for students, staff and programs is possible because of our community’s steadfast investment. And our 2022-2023 operating budget, which takes effect this month, is helping us do so by bringing vital resources to our schools:

• A full-time staff development teacher in every school
• A full-time reading specialist in every elementary school
• Critical staffing in support of new schools and additional school space
• A welcome center for newcomer students to MCPS
• Expanded early childhood learning opportunities
• Strengthened career pathways for employees
• Expanded mental health and wellness resources for students and staff

New Opportunities to Learn
Just as we invest money into our schools, I urge us to invest time to become aware of  the world in which our students live and learn. Two great resources to gain insight into our students’ lives have recently become available:

• Ken Burns’ “Hiding in Plain Sight: Youth Mental Illness” is a documentary that follows adolescents’ struggles with mental health, reminding us of its complex and often invisible scourge
• Student journalists from 15 MCPS high schools have published The Amplifier, a magazine that elegantly captures the student day in the era of the pandemic, shedding light on what goes on in school hallways, at lunch and outside of the school day

These resources are important because our students need our immediate attention. We must have deep relationships and check in to ensure they are well and making sound decisions. Just this past weekend, we experienced the untimely deaths of two of our students. This loss impacts our families, our schools and our staff, and we must ensure as a community we are ready to support each other to proactively prevent tragedy and respond when it does occur. I offer my deepest sympathy to those two families.

Our Continued Partnership
Throughout my professional career and personal life, I have been constantly reminded: Home is where the heart is. I feel lucky to call MCPS my professional home, to serve as our district’s superintendent, and to be part of a family committed to student learning.

My time in our system has taught me that progress requires shared effort and shared achievement. For us to be successful, to serve our students and community as we wish to do, requires an intentional effort—it takes investment. And it takes teamwork.

I am committed to continue to listen, to collaborate and to hear your priorities and your feedback. As I discuss in this video, one opportunity to offer your perspective is in this survey in which we ask you to share your ideas about our district’s strengths, opportunities, and priorities.Thank you for your ongoing support of our school system.

Through the summer and beyond, I look forward to working to improve our school system so that we provide our students, families, community members and staff with every opportunity that you deserve.

Sincerely,

Monifa B. McKnight, Ed.D.

Superintendent of Schools“