CAPA-MC Statement on the Proposed MCPS Regional Program Model

Chinese American Parents Association of Montgomery County (CAPA-MC)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The Chinese American Parents Association of Montgomery County (CAPA-MC), representing thousands of families across Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS), is issuing this statement in response to MCPS’s ongoing academic program analysis and the proposed regional program model.

In recent weeks, several major education stakeholders of MCPS and Board of Education (BOE), have expressed significant concerns regarding the speed, transparency, and feasibility of the proposed changes. Community engagement cannot be more critical and crucial for MCPS’s strategic changes in this scale, we wish our CAPA-MC’s position and voice also be heard by MCPS, BOE and the community.

Our Position

As a longtime community partner with MCPS over the past decade, CAPA-MC strongly supports the county’s long-standing commitment to equity and expanded access to rigorous academic opportunities. We actively participated in the community engagement discussions throughout the process. However, we share the concerns raised by other stakeholders regarding the rushed timeline, insufficient stakeholder engagement, and lack of clarity around program quality and implementation capacity. On behalf of our community, we had raised our concerns repeatedly at many occasions, such as Design Team meetings, BOE testimonies, Community Engagement Meetings, MCPS Information Sessions, but now we are concerned that our raised concerns ARE NOT addressed by MCPS. 

From recent MCPS and BOE meetings, several themes have become clear:

• MCPS’s flagship programs—such as the Downcounty Consortium (DCC), the Montgomery Blair Magnet Program, the Richard Montgomery International Baccalaureate (IB) Program, the Poolesville Magnet Program and the Wheaton Engineering program—are the product of many years of deliberate development, robust staffing, sustained community investment, and strong school-level leadership. These nationally recognized programs did not emerge overnight; they represent long-term commitments to academic rigor and excellence.

• Creating new, high-quality programs of comparable rigor requires substantial time, resources, and meticulous planning—far more than what is reflected in the current proposal. To date, the community has not been presented with convincing budget figures, nor with a comprehensive staffing plan that demonstrates how highly trained and specialized teachers—who are essential to the success of advanced academic programs—will be recruited, supported, and retained.
• For any major academic initiative to succeed, teachers, school leaders, and program communities must be given adequate time and opportunity to collaborate, train, and build capacity before being asked to implement programs of this scale. At present, the level of educator involvement and preparation is significantly below what such an undertaking requires.
• Furthermore, MCPS’s own projections indicate declining enrollment in the coming years, suggesting that overutilization pressures will naturally ease. For this reason, the regional model DOES NOT need to be inter-locked with the boundary study—both initiatives independently demand extensive resource, community outreach, engagement, and time to be conducted responsibly.
• MCPS cannot “build this plane while it is flying.” Moving forward without transparent budget information, without a comprehensive teacher training and staffing plan, and in the face of significant community concern introduces an unacceptably high level of risk. In the worst-case scenario, which is likely to happen if the regional model is approved, the county may not only fail to establish effective regional programs but may also jeopardize the long-standing countywide flagship programs that have taken decades of investment to build and have become national models of excellence. These programs take years to build and nurture, and thoughtful planning is essential to protect their success. With careful consideration and planning, MCPS can ensure decisions remain equitable, responsible, and supportive of every student.
  

CAPA-MC members share these serious concerns. While we appreciate and fully support the goals of increased access and geographic equity, access without quality is not equity. A program that lacks the staffing, training, resources, and support needed for true academic rigor cannot meaningfully serve any student—no matter their race, income, or zip code.

What CAPA-MC Calls For

We respectfully urge MCPS to:

1. Preserve and strengthen countywide programs until pilot regional programs yield preliminary data showing comparable academic rigor. MCPS’s county wide magnet program are NATIONAL models and remain essential pathways for students with advanced academic needs. These programs should not be diminished or dismantled without fully tested alternatives that meet equivalent standards of rigor and success. A pilot program could reduce risk, ensure quality, and allow the district to learn from real-world outcomes before scaling. Significant structural changes should not proceed until pilot results confirm the model’s viability.

2. Extend the program analysis timeline by at least one year and provide a convincing implementation plan to allow for adequate dissemination of information, staffing model and training, as well as evaluation metrics. The implementation plan should not ignore the valuable community inputs from various stakeholders, and best reflect the adoption of most common suggestions.  

3. Provide a fully developed transportation plan. Any program changes without a realistic and feasible transportation plan probably won’t work. So it is important for MCPS to provide parents and communities a detailed transportation plan, including projected bus routes, travel times, logistical impacts on students and families, and associated costs, to ensure the proposed model is feasible and equitable across the county.

Our Commitment

CAPA-MC remains deeply committed to an MCPS where every student, regardless of background, has access to rigorous, well-supported academic opportunities. We believe this vision requires thoughtful planning, transparent communication, and genuine partnership with the community.

We stand ready to collaborate with MCPS leadership, BOE members, and fellow advocacy organizations to ensure that future programming decisions reflect the best interests of all Montgomery County students.

For questions or media inquiries, please contact:

Chinese American Parents Association of Montgomery County (CAPA-MC)
Email: capamc@capamc.org
Website: https://www.capamc.org