Maryland’s Montgomery County Public Schools is in a freefall. The school system, which in 2017 was the 14th largest in the nation and in fiscal year 2019 had a $2.6 billion budget, has not allowed the doors to its school buildings to open for education in more than 200 days.

Not only is enrollment plummeting, but so is academic performance. Principals are passive, and rather than act as community leaders and advocate for school opening, many simply see their role as forwarding messages from the central administration in MCPS’s headquarters in Rockville. With just a few exceptions, members of the board ignore and refuse to respond to residents who raise concerns or ask questions that run counter to their own worldview.