Our Schools, Communities and Future.
On March 5, 2024, residents of Montgomery County will have an opportunity to vote to renew the 3.5 county tax millage that supports both MPS and Pike Road Schools. This is not a new tax. For MPS, the current tax generates an estimated 11 million dollars. For PRS, it generates an estimated 1.2 million dollars. Those funds support resources such as classroom instruction materials, teacher units, extracurricular activities, professional development for school staff, maintenance of facilities, athletics, security, social and emotional resources, and much more.
MPS has made significant strides in improving the quality of education for our students, and much of our success is attributed to the consistent support from our communities. In 2020, the community rallied to vote for a new tax that leveled the playing field for MPS to receive funding that allows the system to go from 10 mils to 22 to mils. Prior to the vote, Montgomery County was one of the lowest funded school systems in the entire state. Although the vote passed in 2020, by law, MPS was not able to collect those funds until October of 2023. Once the vote passed, MPS worked collaboratively with its staff and community to create and implement strategies to support quality education across the district.
For example, over the past year, MPS has created 17 STEM labs in elementary schools, and 25 of our elementary schools have robotics teams. Also, MPS has placed 50 new arts teacher units across the district, has implemented an in-house new teacher residency program that supports new teachers in the classrooms, outlined a state accredited curriculum, maintained a healthy school district fund balance that is three times the required amount and the work is still growing. All of these things would not be possible without local funding.
These funds have been instrumental in creating environments conducive to learning and allowing our students to thrive in spaces where they are encouraged to be their best selves.
I urge each community member to visit our website and social media channels to see the wonderful things our students are doing. Together, we can continue to build a school district that we can all be proud of—one that prepares our students for success and contributes to the overall well-being of our community.
I want to thank each of you for your continued support of MPS and I know we’re all looking forward to the continued growth and success of our public school system.
Melvin J. Brown, Ed.D., is the superintendent of Montgomery Public Schools and previously served as superintendent of Reynoldsburg City Schools in Ohio. He has 24 years of school administrative experience.
