Maryland's Largest School District
The Montgomery County Board of Education will hold public hearings to hear testimony regarding the FY 2028 Capital Budget and Amendments to the FY 2027-2032 Capital Improvements Program (CIP).
The hearings will be open to the public. The Board will also continue to accept pre-recorded audio and video submissions for the in-person Public Hearing #1 and the virtual Public Hearing #2 for interested individuals.
Individuals who wish to provide public comments will register using the online FY28 Capital Budget & Amendments to the FY27-FY32 CIP Registration Form.
The public may register to provide testimony at either hearing beginning on Thursday, October 15, 2026, at 12:00 p.m.
Registration will close on Monday, October 19, 2026, at 10:00 a.m.
As space is limited, interested individuals are encouraged to sign up as early as possible.
Providing Testimony: The Board strives to provide opportunities that allow for the engagement of a broad, diverse group of constituents and include as many unique voices as possible. Individuals will be provided with up to two (2) minutes to provide their public testimony. Three (3) minutes will be reserved for the following individuals:
No person testifying may cede time to another person. A speaker signed up to testify may reserve only one space.
Submission of Testimony and Deadlines: Those selected for one of the speaking slots will receive a confirmation email with instructions about how to submit testimony to the Board Office in advance of the hearing. For speakers providing pre-recorded testimony, instructions will be provided on how to prepare such testimony for submission as well as the submission deadline.
Written and pre-recorded testimony should be submitted to BOETestimony@mcpsmd.org. Testimonies that do not adhere to submission instructions will be returned.
Agenda: The agenda, including the list of speakers, will be posted no later than 12:00 p.m. on the day of the hearing at https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/boe/meetings/
Hearings, Work Session, and Board Action
The schedule for the Board of Education review, public hearings, and action on the Superintendent’s recommended CIP is as follows:
Testimony Subject Matter
Public testimony should address recommendations before the Board and is not the proper avenue for addressing specific student or employee matters. Comments about the actions or statements of individual staff members are not suitable for public testimony and should be directed to the Superintendent or handled through other available channels.
Broadcasts of Public Hearings and Interpreter Services
All hearings are available to view live (and will be available after the hearings on demand) on the MCPS webpage: https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/index.aspx
Hearings will also be broadcast live on Comcast Channel 34 (HD 1071), Verizon FIOS Channel 36, RCN Channel 89, the MCPS home page (https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/), and the MCPS YouTube Channel (http://youtube.com/mcpstv).
Additional information about public hearings may be found in the Board of Education Handbook
The Board of Education designates time during each business meeting and regular work session for public comments. The process for signing up and providing public testimony is outlined below. If you have questions regarding this process, please submit them to BOETestimony@mcpsmd.org.
Unless otherwise notified, the sign-up period typically opens to the public one (1) week prior to the meeting at 6:00 p.m. and closes three (3) days prior to the meeting at 9:00 a.m.
The Board’s business meetings and regular work sessions will be open to the public, and in-person public comments will be permitted. The Board will also continue to accept pre-recorded audio and video submissions for individuals who wish to remain virtual. All testimonies will be made available to the public on BoardDocs. Individuals who want to provide public comments will register using the online registration form and will be selected on a first-come, first-served basis.
In addition to the online sign-ups, the Board will return to the practice of in person, same day sign-ups when space allows. Unallocated slots may be filled on a first-come, first-served basis, on the day of the meeting.
Safety Procedures for In-Person Public Comments and Observation: Please avoid in-person attendance if you are experiencing symptoms of illness. If you choose to bring a sign, please ensure it is no larger than 8.5” x 11”. Signs may not be mounted on sticks.
The first twenty (20) speakers who sign up for public comments during the designated sign-up process are afforded two (2) minutes to speak. Public testimony slots that remain available following the closing of the sign-up process may be filled on a first-come, first-served basis on the day of the meeting by signing in with Board staff no earlier than the scheduled start of the closed session and no later than fifteen (15) minutes prior to the scheduled start time of the open session.
In addition to the twenty (20) testimony slots available to the public, separate testimony slots will be reserved at each business meeting and regular work session for a designated representative of each MCPS employee association. Unless otherwise designated by the Board, each association representative will be afforded two (2) minutes to speak.
The Board is interested in hearing a broad range of perspectives from the community. Accordingly, when the Board receives more requests than the allotted number of testimony slots, first priority will be given to individuals who have not testified at any of the previous four (4) Board business meetings or regular work sessions.
Once the public comment sign-up period has closed, speakers will receive a confirmation email within 24 hours with instructions about how to submit their written testimony in advance to the Board Office. For speakers providing video or audio testimony, instructions will be provided on how to prepare video/audio comments for submission. Please adhere to the submission deadline and instructions included in the confirmation email. All written, video, and audio comments for the meeting should be submitted to BOETestimony@mcpsmd.org.
While public input on policies, programs, and practices is encouraged, public comments are not the proper avenue to address specific student or employee matters. Comments regarding specific student or employee matters shall be directed to the Board or superintendent, as appropriate, through separate communication.
Those who are unable to sign up or are not selected to provide comments during the meeting may email their comments to BOETestimony@mcpsmd.org. Emails sent to this address are automatically distributed to all Board members and leadership staff.
Additional information about public comments may be found in the Board of Education Handbook.
