Taking Action: MCPS Proposed Regional Programs

The Magnet Foundation is encouraging the Blair Magnet community to speak out regarding the MCPS proposal for regional programs, which would replace longstanding special programs like the Blair Magnet with new programs in limited geographic regions. According to MCPS's current timeline, the plan will be finalized in December, and the Board of Education will vote on the proposed changes in March 2026 with a planned implementation date in the 2027-28 school year.

The proposed changes have been discussed in several recent articles in Bethesda Magazine:

• https://bethesdamagazine.com/2025/07/25/mcps-end-countywide-program-consortia/ 

• https://bethesdamagazine.com/2025/08/13/mcps-program-changes-concerns/ 

• https://bethesdamagazine.com/2025/08/22/mcps-proposed-regional-program-themes/ 

• https://bethesdamagazine.com/2025/10/10/mcps-program-analysis-concerns/ 

Below, you will find suggestions for writing a short note to MCPS or to write a more personalized message.

Contact information for the Superintendent and the Board of Education:

• Thomas Taylor (Thomas_W_Taylor@mcpsmd.org, 240-740-3020), MCPS Superintendent

• The Montgomery County Board of Education (boe@mcpsmd.org, 240-740-3030)

  • You can also sign up to testify at Board of Education meetings

  • See contact information for more MPS officials here: mbhsmagnet.org/action/contact-mcps

Quick Action: Write a short note to encourage MCPS officials to meet with members of the Blair Magnet community before moving forward. Here is a sample message:

Dear Superintendent Taylor and Board members:

I am a parent/student/alum of the Blair Magnet Program, and I am writing to express concerns regarding the proposed regional model for MCPS.  Please do not move forward with this plan without carefully considering its impact on longstanding high school special programs like the Blair Magnet. I encourage you to meet with the teachers, students, and parents in the Blair Magnet community to understand what makes the program special before implementing major changes.

Regards,

Your name

Personal Advocacy: Write a more personalized message explaining why you value the Blair Magnet and how regional programs would affect it.

The Foundation has prepared an outline that can help guide your writing:

• Why are you writing?

  • To support the Blair Magnet Program

  • To express concerns regarding the proposed regional model for MCPS

  • What is your connection to the Magnet Program? What years did you/your child attend?

• How did you/your child benefit from the Blair Magnet?

  • Ability to take Magnet classes that could not be offered at your home school because there were not enough students with the interest or the necessary prerequisites, e.g., Differential Equations, Complex Analysis, Linear Algebra, Mathematical Physics, Quantum Physics,Thermodynamics,  Genetics, Cellular Physiology, Analytical and Physical Chemistry, Marine Biology, 

  • Found a community of like-minded peers in the Magnet that did not exist at your home school 

  • Blair was more diverse than your home school

  • Research-focused curriculum prepared students for internship opportunities in high school and college (and beyond)

• Did you/your child participate in Magnet activities with countywide, regional, or national impact?

  • For example, Magnet students and teachers run events at Blair that attract students from across the county and region:

    • The Blair Math Team runs the annual MBMT math tournament for middle school and elementary school math teams in the DMV

    • The Blair Robotics Team runs an annual BunnyBots robotics competition with participation from other high school robotics teams

    • The Blair Computer Team runs mBIT, a computer programming competition for middle and high school students

    • The math team representing Montgomery County in the ARML Competition at the middle school and high school levels practices weekly at Blair (since 2009) and is coached by a Magnet math teacher.

  • Magnet students routinely win competitions that bring national recognition to MCPS:

    • In the Regeneron Science Talent Search (formerly sponsored by Westinghouse and Intel), the Blair Magnet has produced over 50 finalists - more than any other school in the country since the 1980s when the Magnet created.

    • Blair has won the National Science Bowl three times (1999, 2016, 2025) - no other school has won in three different decades.

    • Since the Magnet was created, twenty students have represented the United States in international academic olympiad competitions: 5 in the Math Olympiad, 8 in the Physics Olympiad, 3 in the Informatics Olympiad, 2 in the Chemistry Olympiad, and 2 in the Biology Olympiad (including Kian Dhawan '26)

    • More student awards are listed here: https://www.mbhsmagnet.org/magnet/awards 

• Regional programs are unlikely to provide the same opportunities or achieve the same success as the Blair Magnet.

  • Some regions will not have enough qualified students to run the same advanced classes that Blair Magnet students have been taking.  These shortfalls will be exacerbated in underrepresented regions, creating greater inequity between parts of the county.

  • In national competitions, Blair Magnet students compete against other magnet schools that typically draw from even larger student populations, e.g., Thomas Jefferson in Virginia draws from Fairfax, Arlington, Loudon, and Prince William Counties (over 200,000 K-12 students); Stuyvesant High School and The Bronx High School of Science draw from New York City Public Schools (over 1 million students); other magnet programs are statewide: NCSSM (No. Carolina), TAMS (Texas), IMSA (Illinois)

• MCPS has not adequately addressed the logistical challenges of launching multiple new STEM magnets simultaneously:

  • Are there enough teachers in each school with the qualifications/credentials/experience to teach specialized Magnet classes? It may be difficult to find enough teachers for classes unique to the STEM Magnets like engineering classes or advanced mathematics.

  • How will teachers be prepared to teach the Magnet curriculum in new programs?  Will teachers be able to observe and learn from Blair Magnet teachers, like Poolesville teachers did when that program started in 2006?

  • Will there be enough students in each program that meet the prerequisites for advanced classes and electives? Or will advanced classes only be available to students in some regions which creates inequity and limits access?

  • Will MCPS provide adequate funding to acquire the kind of lab equipment, computers, and other materials necessary to run the same Magnet classes? The budget for the Blair Magnet has been repeatedly cut since 2008, and it is not clear how MCPS will be able to fund multiple new programs.

• MCPS should consider alternatives to expand STEM opportunities while maintaining the high quality of the Blair Magnet program and easing the transition:

  • Alternative 1: Increase the size of the programs at Blair and Poolesville

    • To promote equity, MCPS could reserve seats for FARMS-eligible students or for students from particular regions

    • Expanded magnet programs could be a training ground for teachers that could later help to launch future programs

    • Increasing the size of the programs could also facilitate more efficiency in bus routes to Blair and Poolesville, easing the commute for students traveling from farther away.

  • Alternative 2: Start with just one new regional program

    • Rather than moving directly to six programs, first add one new program to create three STEM centers (Blair, Poolesville, and new program)

    • Blair and Poolesville staff could help to support one new program - this would be much more feasible than four new programs starting independently

If you want more information about the Foundation's advocacy efforts or want to get more involved, please sign up below: