Public Comments at Board Meetings

The Board changed its Board meeting times!

NOTICE - Effective July 1, 2018, the Board of Education changed the start of its meeting times to generally begin at 2:00 p.m. for day business meetings and 5:30 p.m. for evening meetings. 

How Do I Sign-Up to Make a Public Comment?

The Board accepts sign-ups online only!

NOTICE - The form to sign-up to provide public comment at the next Board of Education Business meeting can be found here. The form is generally available from 9:00 a.m. the Friday before the meeting until 9:00 a.m. on the Monday prior to the scheduled Board meeting.

At most business meetings, 30 minutes are set aside for Public Comments from residents to encourage public participation. The first fifteen (15) speakers who register online, will be granted three (3) minutes each to speak as follows:

• The Board will reserve ten (10) of the fifteen (15) slots for public comments for speakers who wish to comment on issues that are on the agenda for that day’s Board meeting. The other five (5) slots will be reserved for speakers who wish to comment on other issues that are not specifically on the agenda.
• Unallocated slots may be filled—first come, first served—on the day of the meeting by signing the appropriate sheet at the Board meeting no later than 15 minutes prior to the scheduled time for Public Comments.

What is an Appropriate Subject for Public Comments?

This is not the proper avenue to address specific student or employee matters, especially those matters on appeal to the Board. Comments about the actions or statements of individual staff members are not appropriate for Public Comments and should be referred to the Superintendent of Schools or processed through available channels.

Public Comments Are Part of a Public Meeting

This hearing is a public meeting that will be broadcast live and posted as a video webcast on the Board's website. Clips from the meeting may be used by Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS), the system of public schools operated by the Board, in future media productions, subject to the terms of use set forth on the MCPS website at this link: https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/info/terms-of-use/. Due to modern technology, video also may be accessed or used by other community members, who also are expected to adhere to the MCPS terms of use.

Written Testimony

In advance of the meeting, please e-mail the testimony to boe@mcpsmd.org, fax it to 301-279-3860, or deliver to the Board of Education Office (850 Hungerford Drive, Suite 123, Rockville, MD 20850) and indicate the meeting during which you will be testifying.

If testimony is not provided in advance, speakers are requested to provide 20 copies of their written testimony for distribution to Board members, staff, and the press.

Public Hearings

The Board of Education schedules public hearings on issues it determines to be of widespread interest and concern. A quorum of the Board is not required to be present for a hearing to be conducted. In addition to special public hearings, the Board holds hearings on its strategic plan, annual operating budget, proposed Capital Improvement Program (CIP), and school boundaries. Hearings for the proposed capital budget and CIP and/or boundaries are governed by Board Policy FAA, Long-Range Educational Facilities Planning.

General guidelines for public hearings are as follows:

1. The subject, date, and opportunities for signup for a public hearing are typically publicized through the Board’s customary communications channels. Unless otherwise stated in the hearing notice, signups generally begin three weeks prior to the hearing date.
2. The agenda for the hearing is closed when the maximum number of speakers is registered or at the close of business the day before the hearing.
3. The following time limits for testimony apply to public hearings, unless otherwise specified by the Board in the hearing notice:
   • Organizations*/Municipalities/Elected Officials: 5 minutes (*Organizations include: Montgomery County Regional Student Government Association/Montgomery County Junior Councils, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People Parents Council, community organizations, MCCPTA, clusters, and the unions.)
   • Individuals: 3 minutes
    

A person calling to speak, other than a cluster coordinator or area vice president, may reserve only one space. Only one speaker will be registered for any organization, unless the Board provides otherwise. Individuals and organizations may not cede time to others who have signed up. Elected officials are given the courtesy of being placed on the agenda at the time of their choice.

Speakers are requested to provide 20 copies of their statement at the hearing, for distribution to the Board, staff, and press. Speakers are requested to submit their testimony to the Board of Education office at least 24 hours in advance of the hearing.

Public hearings are recorded, televised, and transmitted via webcast.

Additional information about public hearings may be found in the Board of Education Handbook