Public Advocacy

When budget cuts have threatened the Magnet, many students, alumni, and parents have spoken out on behalf of the program.  The Magnet community has sent letters and e-mails to local politicians, they have written letters to the editors of local newspapers, and they have testified before the Montgomery County Board of Education and County Council.

This is a repository of some of that testimony, which documents how much the Magnet means to those who have experienced it.

• • April 8, 2008: Louis Wasserman '08 testifies before the County Council: "It is a fallacy that talented students will succeed no matter what education they are given."

  • May 2008: Alumni, Students, and Parents write to the Gazette

    • May 7, 2008: Elizabeth Inkellis '03: "I could not have received a better education anywhere else."

    • May 7, 2008: Urja Mittal '10: "The magnet program has nurtured a diverse group of students who are enthusiastic and eager to learn."

    • May 21, 2008: John Pinkerton: "For the first time, our ninth-grade son is enthralled with school."

  • April 27, 2008: Kelly McQuighan '02 writes to the Washington Post: "It is unjust not to foster the intellect of our brightest math and science students unless they pay thousands to attend a private school."

  • April 28, 2009: Ted Jou '99 testifies before the Board of Education: "Please, help us keep these special programs special."

  • October 15, 2009: Parents testify at the Board of Education Community Forum

    • Bing Cai: "No kids should be held back."

    • Noemie Kedei: "We in Montgomery County have a special responsibility to nurture the talent in all students."

    • Dipak Oza: "The unique nature of the Magnet Programs is an immense incentive to live in Montgomery County."

    • Dan Shepherdson: "These programs fulfill MCPS's Core Value of tailoring instruction to meet the learning needs of EACH student."

  • January 8, 2010: David Argue writes a letter to the County Council and Board of Education: "The essence of what it means to have these programs as "magnets" for students from around the county requires that transportation be provided."

  • January 19, 2010: The Magnet Foundation writes a letter to the Board of Education: "We urge you to consider the students and teachers of Montgomery County's special programs as you work on the FY 2011 MCPS Operating Budget."

  • January 20, 2010: Eric Marx testifies at a meeting of the Board of Education: "even though the threatened cuts would save only a tiny amount of money, they would absolutely kill these programs as we know them."

  • January 23, 2010: Robert and Cynthia Strouse write to the Board of Education: "This is a special, needy population. They are special in a different way than you typically use this term. They are needy in a different way than you typically use this term. They are special and needy all the same."

• January 24, 2010: Mark Gross writes to the Board of Education: "If the best and the brightest kids don't have the opportunity to pursue a strenuous education, they'll simply tune out at school."

• January 27, 2010: Sharon Goodall writes to the Board of Education: "The motivated and dedicated staff at Blair has found creative ways to get by with past cuts but there is a limit to their resourcefulness."

• February 2, 2010: Beth Kaufman writes to the Board of Education: "I know these are tough times, but a prudent family stops eating restaurant meals and turns off its cable service before it stops feeding the children.  A prudent school board should do the same."

• March 3, 2015: The Magnet Foundation writes to MCPS: "It is clear that the money invested in the Magnet research teacher over the years has paid for itself both through prize money and the immeasurable benefits of a hands-on education."

• April 22, 2015: The Magnet Foundation writes a letter to the Craig Rice of the Montgomery County Council: "Please don’t deprive some of the most talented students in MCPS of the same opportunities that you and I were able to enjoy as Blair Magnet students in previous decades."

• January 20, 2016: The Magnet Foundation writes a letter to the Board of Education: "to urge MCPS to restore funding for High School Special Programs back to previous levels and in particular, to fully fund the Magnet Program at Montgomery Blair High School."

• August 13, 2025: Magnet parent Jie Jong and former teacher David Stein spoke to Bethesda Magazine: MCPS proposed program changes prompt concerns from stakeholders

• August 21, 2025: Magnet students and parents testified before the Board of Education:

  • Bill Qian: "The STEM program at Blair fosters a close environment of students with similar passions, providing a sense of belonging and a source of healthy competition and support."

  • Donald Klees: "Dismantling a program with a multi-generational history of academic excellence would not just be an affront to the values MCPS espouses but also counter to the aims supposedly being pursued."

  • Gopal Kailad: "While establishing new regional programs is commendable, abolishing the countywide programs is not the solution."