What changes are coming to MCPS for the 2026-2027 school year?

Recent board decisions include position cuts, programming changes, cell phone ban

August 12, 2026 5:42 p.m.

An empty classroom. - Image Credit: Elia Griffin

With less than two weeks until the start of classes on Aug. 25, Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) has made, and continues to make, changes that will impact students, staff and families.

From cutting hundreds of positions to making sweeping programming changes and banning cell phones for high schoolers, here’s a look at some changes families should expect for the coming school year:

Repercussions of position cuts

This school year, the district will be dealing with the repercussions of cutting hundreds of positions in the school system, after the county school board voted 7-1 in May to approve the fiscal year 2027 budget.

The decision resulted in a loss of about 255 existing positions, plus nearly 160 newly proposed positions that won’t be filled, according to the list of cuts. The emotionally fraught deliberations followed the County Council’s May adoption of a $7.9 billion county operating budget that had a $36 million shortfall between the district’s expenses and its approved funding.

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Many of the existing positions that have been cut — such as social workers, family engagement specialists and pupil personnel workers — provide support to students and families.

The reductions also included the district’s chief of security, former Montgomery County police head Marcus Jones, and newly proposed positions — such as 28 new security assistant jobs — in place of some existing jobs that had initially been on the chopping block earlier in budget deliberations.

Regional programming changes

The district is implementing a new regional program model, after the school board in March approved new school boundary lines and changes for programming in the school system.

The regional model divides district high schools into six regions with four or five high schools in each region. Plans call for five program themes, with each high school having one to two programs that fall under the themes.

New elementary school boundary study, school closure process

The district is set to embark on another boundary study this month, determining attendance areas and if any middle or elementary schools should be closed for the 2029-2030 school year. The study comes on the heels of the middle and high school boundary study and program analysis that led to the regional programming model.

According to school board documents, the elementary school boundary study will consist of two phases: the first includes determining recommendations for any elementary or middle school consolidations, closures or changes to programs such as “paired schools,” where K-2 and 3-5 grade students are split between two schools. The second phase will be an elementary school boundary study that will consider decisions made in the first phase.

Phase one of the timeline is set to end in May. Phase two is scheduled to begin in June and end in May 2028. The boundary study is set to be implemented for the 2029-2030 school year.

No more cell phones for high schoolers

The district updated its cell phone regulations to ban the use of mobile devices all day for all students, including high schoolers, for the 2026-2027 school year.

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The change to regulations comes roughly one year after the district updated its cell phone regulations to primarily increase the limits on student cellphone use in middle schools.

According to its cell phone regulations, updated July 20, students can have their cell phones and other mobile devices on campus, but are prohibited from using them during the academic day. The academic day is defined as “any structured or unstructured learning experience that occurs beginning when the first bell rings at the start of the school day until the dismissal bell rings at the end of the school day, including instructional periods, lunch, recess, passing, and transitional periods.”

The new regulation details several exceptions, including that students will be able to use devices while riding to or from school, or on transportation to or from school-sponsored events.

Free dual enrollment ends for some students

After a $1.4 million reduction in funds for dual enrollment classes in the MCPS budget, roughly 9% of MCPS students enrolled in the college classes may need to pay hundreds of dollars in tuition and fees for the courses.

The fiscal year 2027 budget will now reflect the state’s definition for College and Career Readiness, a metric students can meet through a mix of taking assessments such as the SAT and earning certain grades in courses. Now, instead of paying for the costs of all dual enrollment students, MCPS will only cover the costs for students who meet the College and Career Readiness standard.

In mid-July, MCPS sent 289 letters to families detailing the potential costs and options for students, according to MCPS spokesperson Liliana López. Enrollment is ongoing, and roughly 3,150 students are enrolled in dual enrollment classes at Montgomery College as of mid-July according to the community college’s spokesperson Vanessa Zambrano.

Increase in meal prices

The price of school meals will increase by 30 cents beginning this school year after the Montgomery County school board unanimously voted in May for the price hike amid increasing food costs.  

With the board’s decision, in total, breakfast for students will now cost $1.60, and lunch prices will increase to $2.85 for elementary school students and $3.10 for secondary school students. 

The increases will not impact students who qualify to receive free and reduced-price (FARMS) lunches, MCPS staff said in April. They also noted that students are not denied meals if they can’t pay for them.   

Changes to MCPS’ gender identity guidelines

MCPS staff are now required to release information about a student’s gender identity if a parent or guardian requests it, marking a shift from previous guidelines that said disclosing the information provided by a student could violate privacy laws, according to a May message from the school district.

The previous MCPS guidelines on gender identity in the student handbook said students have a right to privacy, including the right to keep their gender identities private. The student handbook notes that disclosing information such as a student’s transgender status may violate privacy laws.

Under the revised framework, if a parent or guardian specifically requests information about their child’s gender identity status school staff will be obligated to share that information.

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Originally published at Bethesdamagazine