Press Releases - County Council

Montgomery County Council Committee Meetings on March 5, 2026

For Immediate Release: Wednesday, March 4, 2026

Committees will review Fiscal Year 2027-2032 Capital Improvements Programs, receive briefings on the Montgomery County Public Schools class size report and academic performance metrics and receive an update on the Minority Health Initiatives

The Economic Development (ECON) Committee will meet on Thursday, March 5 at 9:30 a.m. to review the Fiscal Year (FY) 2027-2032 Capital Improvements Program (CIP) for the Revenue Authority and the Economic Development subcategory for Montgomery County Government.

The members of the ECON Committee include Chair and Council President Natali Fani-González, Council Vice President Marilyn Balcombe and Councilmembers Evan Glass and Laurie-Anne Sayles.

The Health and Human Services (HHS) Committee will meet at 1 p.m. to receive an update on the County's Minority Health Initiatives.

The members of the HHS Committee include Chair Sayles and Councilmembers Andrew Friedson and Dawn Luedtke.

The Education and Culture (EC) Committee will meet at 1:30 p.m. to review the Culture and Recreation subcategory of the FY27-32 CIP for Montgomery County Public Libraries (MCPL) and receive briefings on the Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) class size report and academic performance metrics.

The members of the EC Committee include Chair Will Jawando and Councilmembers Shebra Evans and Kristin Mink.

More detail on each agenda item is provided below.

FY27-32 Capital Improvements Program (CIP) - Revenue Authority

Review: The ECON Committee will review the more than $11.7 million FY27-32 CIP for the Revenue Authority, which represents a decrease of nearly $52,000, or less than half of one percent, from the Amended FY25-30 CIP. The cost decrease is due to projects being completed since the previously approved CIP and no longer requiring funding in the FY25-30 period. Revenue Authority projects include the lease and operation of the Montgomery County Airpark and nine active golf courses. The Revenue Authority is self-supporting and operates independently of the County government. However, County Code requires the Revenue Authority to prepare and submit a six-year capital improvements program for approval by the Council. The Revenue Authority FY27-32 program is funded by Revenue Authority debt, Revenue Authority current revenues, federal funds and state funds.

FY27-32 Capital Improvements Program (CIP) - General Government - Economic Development

Review: The ECON Committee will review the County Executive’s recommendation for one new and two ongoing Economic Development projects in the FY27-32 CIP for Economic Development. The recommendation for the new Institute for Health Computing Project includes $50 million in funding over the six-year period. This project supports funding for a new Institute for Health Computing building to be located at the North Bethesda Metro Station. In addition, the recommendation includes more than $9.8 million for the ongoing North Bethesda Metro Station Area Redevelopment Infrastructure Project over the six-year period. This project supports sitework on the unimproved Washington Metro Area Transit Authority (WMATA) property on McGrath Boulevard. The recommendation also includes $9 million for the ongoing White Oak Science Gateway Redevelopment Project, which provides funds for planning and development coordination activities by the County necessary to construct roads as part of the Viva White Oak project.

Minority Health Initiatives Programs

Update: The HHS Committee will receive updates from representatives of the County’s Minority Health Initiatives, which include the African American Health Program (AAHP), Latino Health Initiative (LHI) and Asian American Health Initiative (AAHI). These programs, which are structured within the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), seek to develop and implement effective, culturally and linguistically responsive health programs and policies, while educating residents to advance health equity and reduce disparities among racial, ethnic, and other historically underserved communities in Montgomery County.

FY27-32 Capital Improvements Program (CIP) - Culture and Recreation - Public Libraries

Review: The EC Committee will review the County Executive’s more than $83 million FY27-32 CIP for MCPL. This represents an increase of $8.2 million, or 10.9 percent, from the Amended FY25-30 CIP. The cost increase is primarily due to a new cost estimate for the design and construction of the Clarksburg Library and the addition of a project to design and construct a new Shady Grove West Library. The MCPL CIP includes seven projects, with two new libraries, two standalone renovation projects, two level of effort projects, and one completed project included to reconcile expenditures with appropriations.

Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) Class Size Report

Update: The EC Committee will receive an update on class sizes in MCPS. The update will incorporate data from three reports to the Council delivered in 2024, 2025 and 2026. The Committee also will discuss proposed new staffing standards, which are intended to lower class sizes over a five-year period beginning in FY27. The new standards will use an equity-based formula designed to reduce staffing ratios to support classroom management, differentiated instruction, and targeted support to meet the learning needs of all students. Additional details are available in the Council staff report.

Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) Academic Performance Metrics

Update: The EC Committee will receive an update on MCPS academic proficiency data and trends from the 2024-2025 school year. At an EC Committee meetings held on July 17, MCPS representatives presented a plan to transition from utilizing Evidence of Learning Data to using the Maryland State Report Card as the primary means of communicating student academic progress to the public and to MCPS stakeholders. This transition in academic proficiency was made in alignment with the MCPS Strategic Plan. In 2025, MCPS announced that 95.5 percent of schools included in the evaluation had earned three stars or higher on the State Report Card for the 2024-2025 school year, which represents a 1.9 percent increase over the previous year.

The Maryland School Report Card provides a measure on school performance under the Maryland Accountability System for the 2024–2025 academic year. Individual schools are measured on academic achievement, progress toward English language proficiency, and school quality and student success measures. Elementary and middle schools are also evaluated on an academic progress indicator, while high schools are measured on graduation rates and postsecondary readiness. Based on these performance indicators, the state assigns each school a total earned points percentage and a star rating on a scale of one to five, with five stars representing the highest level of achievement. An overview of statewide performance data is available in the Council staff report.

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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: 26-076
Media Contact: Sonya Healy 240-777-7926, Benjamin Sky Brandt 240-777-7884