MCPS

Twenty Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) students have earned college- and university-sponsored National Merit Scholarships in the latest round of awards from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation.

Each sponsoring college or university selected scholarship winners from among the finalists in the 2023 National Merit Scholarship Program. These awards provide between $500 and $2,000 annually for up to four years of undergraduate study at the institution financing the scholarship. The winners, their sponsoring university or college, and their intended career fields are:

Last year, through the generosity of businesses, foundations, associations, faith-based organizations, educational institutions, staff, and community members, MCPS provided 10,823 students with backpacks and school supplies through its MCPS Give Back Packs campaign.

Over 70,000 MCPS students receive free & reduced-price meals and many families struggle to afford basic necessities like school supplies. Your donation plays a critical role in helping ALL students thrive academically, while helping to support beginning of the school years costs for a parent in need. MCPS places orders throughout the summer with a goal of providing as many students as possible with a backpack and supplies at the start of the school year.

The Montgomery County Board of Education has unanimously adopted a $3.165 billion operating budget for Fiscal Year (FY) 2024, an increase of $245 million or 8.4 percent over the prior year. The adopted budget will allow Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) to make investments to support enrollment growth and student academic needs, while providing staff wage increases to competitively hire and retain highly qualified teachers, administrators and support service workers.

The FY 2024 Operating Budget was developed to specifically target investments aligned to the three focus areas of the MCPS strategic plan: Academic Excellence, Well-Being and Family Engagement and Professional and Operational Excellence. The budget also includes focused investments by the Board of Education to improve math and literacy rates, build a safe and inclusive school culture and support two-way communication.

MCPS celebrated excellence in autism services during the second annual Autism Unit Awards on May 24. Teachers, paraeducators, administrators, service providers, volunteers and substitutes were recognized. Awards included:

• Outstanding New Paraeducator: Given to paraeducators in their first two years with the autism program, who have demonstrated a commitment to excellence in their roles.