MCPS leadership has seen a bit of a revolving door in the past few years. But with the arrival of new superintendent Dr. Thomas Taylor, the cycle seems to be slowing and the county hopes to find lasting stability and leadership.
On June 25, 2024, the Montgomery County Board of Education unanimously voted to appoint Taylor as the new superintendent of MCPS. The decision came after the previous superintendent, Dr. Monifa McKnight, stepped down from her position following pressure from county residents. For Taylor, the new leadership position marks a return to his roots.
“I grew up in Montgomery County and attended its schools, and it’s been a long time, if ever, since a Montgomery County superintendent actually came from its own community,” Taylor said. “My [professional] background has been all in Virginia, but I grew up here so it was a great fit and opportunity. I can’t think of anybody in education who doesn’t want to go back and serve in their community in some capacity.”
Leading MCPS, the biggest school district in Maryland, presents a daunting challenge. With 211 schools and 160,000 students, it is difficult to have firm control over the entire county. However, Taylor is confident that his experience and expertise will allow him to handle the role without feeling overwhelmed.
“We each get 24 hours in a day, and it’s how we fill those 24 hours, and the life of a school system superintendent is not really different if you’ve got a lot of schools,” Taylor said. “Whether you’ve got 30 schools, 70 schools or 211 schools, my day-to-day hasn’t changed a whole lot.”
As school safety has become a growing nationwide concern, many have judged the true effectiveness of school systems by how they deal with the increasingly public issue of school shootings. Safety remains a top priority for many parents in the community, and Taylor is acutely aware of his responsibility on this issue.
“A positive school culture is one of the safest things you can do, because if [a WCHS student] knew of a serious threat, the probability that [they] would tell someone about it is very high,” Taylor said. “However, in places where there is a lot of fear, intimidation and the culture isn’t so great, there’s a lower probability of someone seeing something and saying something.”
Among a myriad of other issues, Taylor is now also charged with the unique challenge of addressing and bridging educational disparities in MCPS, one of the most diverse counties in Maryland. Taylor believes that closing this gap will be one of his most important tasks as he pushes students to perform well in the classroom.
“We have a lot of students that are coming without a formal English language education or that come to us without Pre-K support, so they’re entering kindergarten at a deficit,” Taylor said. “I think that these disadvantages play a pretty significant role in how prepared they are to be successful in the classroom. And so, I think once we solve some of those issues, the learning part becomes a whole lot easier.”
As the community looks for a stable leader who can unite and guide MCPS, county residents are hopeful that Taylor’s experience and perspective can distinguish him from previous superintendents. He is similarly hopeful about his future plans for MCPS, expressing his desire to be the long-term solution to the carousel of leaders that have rotated through the county. Taylor is known for his collaborative leadership style as he seeks input from various perspectives, ensuring well-rounded decision making. He critically weighs options before making decisions and considers missteps as opportunities.
“You can look at mistakes a couple different ways. You can look at mistakes like it’s the end of the world, or you can look at mistakes like it’s an opportunity to learn something and get better,” Taylor said. “You can choose to be bitter about something or you can choose to be better about something. And I choose to take every opportunity to learn and be a little bit better next time.”
