Statement from Rockville Councilmember Adam Van Grack on Montgomery County’s Decision to Cut MCPS Capital Improvements Funding

Montgomery County cannot keep claiming to prioritize public education while cutting the very funds needed to fix the buildings where our students learn and our educators work.

The County Council’s decision to take money from the MCPS Capital Improvements Program is short-sighted, harmful, and exactly the kind of budgeting choice that helped create the school infrastructure crisis that exists in our County.

For years, Montgomery County has delayed, reduced, and deferred critical school construction and modernization needs. The result is not theoretical. We see it at Wootton High School. We see it at Magruder High School. We see it at Twinbrook Elementary School. We see it in aging HVAC systems, leaking roofs, outdated classrooms, deteriorating bathrooms, and school buildings that are failing to meet the basic standards of health and safety that our students, teachers, principals, and staff deserve.

The decision to permanently move Wootton High School out of its current Rockville campus did not happen in a vacuum. It was the consequence of years of underinvestment and years of political decisions that treated the school infrastructure budget as negotiable. When capital needs are delayed long enough, the public is eventually told there are no good choices left.

That is not leadership. That is passing the buck. We cannot continue to use the MCPS CIP as a place to find money whenever the operating budget becomes difficult. Operating funds matter. Teachers and staff must be supported. But we cannot pretend that public education is fully funded if the buildings themselves are unsafe, unhealthy, outdated, or in serious disrepair.

A classroom is not just a line item. A roof is not optional. HVAC is not optional. Safe bathrooms, accessible buildings, functioning infrastructure, and healthy learning environments are not optional.  I have seen the horrific conditions that exist at Wootton High School, Twinbrook Elementary School, and other schools… and these physical building conditions are completely unacceptable.

When we minimize capital funding, students and staff pay the price.  And, importantly, communities lose trust.  Prioritizing school infrastructure means prioritizing safety, health, and students. Prioritizing school infrastructure means respecting teachers and school staff, and it means making sure our schools are not just staffed… but actually fit for learning.

Montgomery County must stop balancing today’s budget by deepening tomorrow’s crisis. Our students have already waited long enough. The County Council must restore and protect MCPS capital funding and commit to a serious, long-term plan to fix and modernize our schools.

We cannot keep passing the buck. We need to fix the schools.