Press Releases - County Council

Montgomery County Council Committee Meeting on Sept. 18, 2025

For Immediate Release: Wednesday, September 17, 2025

Education and Culture Committee will receive updates on Montgomery College’s East County Education Center and English for Speakers of Other Languages programming

The Education and Culture (EC) Committee will meet on Thursday, Sept. 18 at 1:30 p.m. to receive updates on the Montgomery Coalition for Adult English Literacy (MCAEL) and the Montgomery College English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) programming, and Montgomery College’s East County Education Center.

The members of the EC Committee include Chair and Council Vice President Will Jawando and Councilmembers Gabe Albornoz and Kristin Mink.

More detail on each agenda item is provided below.

Montgomery Coalition for Adult English Literacy (MCAEL) and Montgomery College English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) Programming

Update: The EC Committee will receive an update on MCAEL and ESOL programming. MCAEL is the coordinating entity for adult English language learning in Montgomery County. The organization maintains a system of ESOL programs, provides grant funding to organizations that engage in ESOL education, provides professional development opportunities to those in the field and advocates for accessible and affordable English classes for County residents.

The County provides funding for MCAEL through the MCAEL Non-Departmental Account (NDA) to support the grants they use to fund community organizations who provide adult English language classes. The EC Committee most previously received an update about MCAEL during a meeting held on April 23 to discuss the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Operating Budget.

Montgomery College East County Education Center

Update: The EC Committee will receive an update on Montgomery College’s East County Education Center from representatives of Montgomery College, including President Dr. Jermaine F. Williams. The 55,000 square foot East County Education Center opened in April 2024 and is located on Broadbirch Drive in Silver Spring. The East County Education Center is the largest of the college’s three training centers. Currently, Montgomery College has three campuses located in Germantown, Rockville, Takoma Park/Silver Spring and two additional training centers in Gaithersburg and Wheaton.

The East County Education Center expands upon offerings that were previously provided through a smaller engagement center that had been located in the East County Regional Services Center since 2015. The engagement center offered classes and learning opportunities, many of them free, including English classes and computer trainings to improve job skills and earnings potential. The East County Education Center now provides credit and non-credit classes and industry certification preparation coursework. The learning opportunities target skill gaps in key industry sectors including healthcare and information technology.

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The Committee meeting schedule may change from time to time. View the current Council and Committee agendas, Council staff reports and additional information on items scheduled for Council review on the Council website.

Council and committee meetings are streamed live on the Council’s web page via YouTube and on Facebook Live and can be watched on County Cable Montgomery on Xfinity/RCN 6 HD 996/1056, Fios 30, and on the CCM live stream.

Release ID: 25-306
Media Contact: Genevieve Kurtz 240-777-7805, Benjamin Sky Brandt 240-777-7884