By Adam Pagnucco.
Last week, the school board voted to forward Superintendent Thomas Taylor’s recommended capital budget to the county executive, who must consider it as part of his broader county capital budget before it goes to the county council. Board of Education Member Rita Montoya proposed an amendment that would have removed Taylor’s proposal to close Silver Spring International Middle School (SSIMS) and use it along with the existing Sligo Creek Elementary School as holding schools, but only fellow board member Laura Stewart supported it so it failed at the board. That means funding for changes at SSIMS and Sligo Creek ES remains in MCPS’s requested capital budget despite the board not having voted to reuse them.
Many parents in Silver Spring are upset about this, and despite their loss at the board, the battle is just beginning. That’s because MCPS is not the final arbiter of its capital budget. Rather, that budget is subject to recommendation by the county executive, who will weigh in on the county’s full capital budget on January 15, and it will ultimately be decided by the council.
To divine where this may headed, consider the following four data points.
First, Council Member Kate Stewart, whose district includes inner Silver Spring, has weighed in with the school board on the fate of SSIMS and Sligo Creek ES. Her letter to the board expressing reservations about MCPS’s engagement process is reprinted below.
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November 19, 2025
President Julie Yang and the Montgomery County Board of Education
15 W. Gude Drive, Suite 100
Rockville, MD 20850
Dear President Yang and Members of the School Board,
I am reaching out today to request clarification and improved communications with the community regarding the upcoming vote on Board of Education’s resolution on the Recommended Fiscal Year 2027 Capital Budget and the Fiscal Years 2027-2032 Capital Improvements Program (CIP) as it pertains to Silver Spring International Middle School (SSIMS) and Sligo Creek Elementary School (SCES).
I understand the language in the resolution that will come before the Board of Education on Thursday, November 20 has been updated to read:
“WHEREAS, The recommendation includes projects and funding to support the possible future closure of Silver Spring International Middle School and to convert the existing Silver Spring International Middle School and Sligo Creek Elementary School into holding schools; and
WHEREAS, The Board may consider in a separate, future action whether to implement the closure of Silver Spring International Middle School in accordance with the process outlined in Board Policy FAA, Educational Facilities Planning, Montgomery County Public Schools Regulation FAA-RA, Educational Facilities Planning, and Maryland Code Regulations 13A.02.09.01 -Adoption of Procedures to Govern School Closings”.
This language is an improvement over the version posted on Monday. However, many questions still remain regarding the process moving forward and what commitments the School Board is making if it passes the resolution with the updated language.
With the announcement of plans to close SSIMS and relocate SCES having been made only about a month ago on Monday, October 13, there has not been enough time for proper engagement. The community needs assurances and a clear understanding of the path forward. With original language from the resolution circulating in the community, many felt this was a done deal rather than the first stage of a deliberative process.
We share concerns that there has not been an appropriate level of engagement and community input. This engagement work is important not only for following the process, but building and maintaining community trust.
The needs at SSIMS and SCES are clear and we know something must be done. I ask that the Board of Education recognizes the scale of this proposal to close SSIMS and relocate SCES and allows the proper time for engagement with the entire school community, including school staff, current families, as well as members of the surrounding community, before moving any part of this plan forward.
I request that the Board share with the community the full process for determining the possible closure and relocation of the schools and to clarify the commitments being made through the resolution.
I greatly appreciate your partnership and your commitment to serving all of our county’s students, staff, and families.
Sincerely,
KATE STEWART
COUNCIL PRESIDENT
DISTRICT 4
CC:
Marc Elrich, Montgo1nery County Executive
Thomas Taylor, Superintendent, MCPS
Essie McGuire, Chief of Staff, MCPS
Adnan Mamoon, Chief Operations Officer, MCPS
Andrea Swiatocha, Deputy Chief of Facilities, MCPS
Lori-Christina Webb, Chief of Staff, Montgomery County Board of Education
Patrick Bilock, Principal, Silver Spring International Middle School
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Second, opposed parents are gearing up for battle. On the day of the vote, they fired off an incendiary press release repeating their objections. Here’s a snippet.
MCPS’s lack of transparency and engagement, as well as its deliberate misrepresentation of data, has raised questions about the district’s trustworthiness and credibility in creating the plan. Amid numerous testimonies, MCPS did not accept one witness from the SCES/SSIMS community this evening, further silencing the Silver Spring community from representing our interests. Parents and neighbors are concerned about negative academic implications for students, flawed facilities data, fiscal irresponsibility, traffic and safety, and equity concerns.
Third, the single largest barrier to the passage of MCPS’s capital budget is its cost. At $2.7 billion over six years, it’s 54% larger than MCPS’s existing capital budget and the county has no obvious way to afford paying for all of it. Opponents of the SSIMS and Sligo Creek ES changes claim that they way would cost $281 million. If that money is targeted towards projects that county leaders deem to be unpopular and if the capital budget needs to be trimmed back, it’s an obvious target for green eyeshades in the council building and perhaps the executive branch too.
Finally, there is politics – an all-important word in the upcoming election year. Three council members are running for executive. The current executive is running for council. Other council members are already thinking of future elections. Inner Silver Spring is a place of high turnout and strong activism. It’s easy to imagine legions of angry parents having a greater impact on the council than they did on the school board. Taylor would push back, of course, but he would be up against thousands of votes in the heart of the Democratic Crescent. Would the council decide to hold up the SSIMS money and tell MCPS to pause its process, at least for now? That is the question.
And so the fight will go on.