Welcome Back, Team MCPS!

The 2025–2026 school year is here—and with it, the energy, optimism and sense of purpose that always come with a fresh start. Whether you are in the classroom, leading a school, driving a bus, preparing meals, managing operations or working in Central Services, you are part of a team united by one mission: ensuring every student is seen, supported and set up for success.

This year brings much to celebrate. Thousands of colleagues have joined Team MCPS, bringing fresh energy and expertise. We are rolling out our first-ever Transition Day, giving students in new schools or grade levels a confident, connected start. Across the system, teams are working with renewed focus to strengthen the conditions for learning and working.

Every role matters. Together, we make our schools not just places of learning, but also communities where students and families feel safe, supported and inspired.

Our Priorities for 2025–2026

To deliver on our promise of excellence and equity, we are concentrating on several key priorities this year:

• Teaching & Learning: Strengthening grading and reporting practices so they are clear, fair and focused on student growth.
• Student Experience: Updating the Student Code of Conduct to set high expectations, while using restorative practices when behaviors need redirection.
• Safety & Security: Implementing enhanced standard response protocols so every space is safer for students and staff.
• Targeted Support: Deploying cross-functional expert teams to provide direct, on-the-ground assistance for schools.
• Staffing & Resources: Expanding staffing in special education, security and emergent multilingual learner (EML) programs—and welcoming new colleagues across the system.
• Operational Excellence: Strengthening procurement, contracting and resource alignment so every dollar advances student learning, staff success and community trust.
• Accountability & Improvement: Measuring the return on investment for initiatives, ensuring regulations and policies reflect the scale and significance of MCPS, and turning data into action at every level.

So much to celebrate and be proud of:
Our work is ambitious, but our commitment is clear: Excellence is not a finish line—it’s a daily practice. Preparing students for the future means teaching more than content; it means modeling resilience, reflection and perseverance. 

Welcome back and have an awesome year!