Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) Superintendent Thomas Taylor wants to add $25 million to the district's capital budget. Most of the money would finish the interior of a leased Gaithersburg warehouse the district has been unable to use since the County Council removed its renovation funding in May.

Taylor presented the proposed amendments at a Thursday, Oct. 15, school board work session in Rockville, first reported by Bethesda Magazine. The request breaks down to $23 million for the warehouse at 750 Progress Way and $2 million to hire consultants for public-private partnerships and to study renovating Col. Zadok Magruder High School in Rockville, built in 1970.

The broader Capital Improvements Program (CIP) also includes a project at Cold Spring Elementary in Potomac, with design set to begin in 2031 and construction aimed for completion by 2034.

The changes would amend the district's existing $1.85 billion CIP for 2027-2032. This is an "off year" in the program's two-year cycle, meaning the district can propose only amendments, not a full overhaul. Taylor told the board the limited scope was by design, and that a complete CIP review would come next year.

The warehouse problem

The Board of Education approved a 10-year lease for about 161,500 square feet at 750 Progress Way in October 2025 to replace aging storage space. MCPS then asked the County Council for $13.1 million in capital funding to renovate the building. The council did not provide it.

MCPS renegotiated the lease from 10 years to two, the district said in an Oct. 12 statement responding to questions about why it was paying roughly $246,000 a month for a building it could not use, as Moderately MoCo reported. MCPS said breaking the original lease "would have resulted in substantial financial penalties."

Andrea Swiatocha, acting chief operations officer, told the board the current warehouse on Stone Street in Rockville is long past its useful life.

"It was constructed using salvaged materials from the World War II era. … It truly just doesn't meet our needs anymore," Swiatocha said.

The $23 million would fund the interior build-out so the Progress Way space can support the district's material management operations.

Magruder and partnerships

The remaining $2 million would pay for a feasibility study on renovating Magruder High, where families have raised concerns about mice and crumbling auditorium ceilings, according to Bethesda Magazine. The same funding would cover consultants to explore public-private partnerships that could let the district start construction projects faster without paying all upfront costs.

Swiatocha told Bethesda Magazine the district has heard from interested private-sector parties but cannot move forward without consultant funding.

What's next

MCPS will hold public hearings on the proposed amendments Oct. 26 and Oct. 27, with another work session Nov. 2. The board is scheduled to vote on its request to the County Council on Nov. 19.