In response to the growing number of students in MCPS, Superintendent Jerry Weast has proposed a $1.49 billion, six-year plan to build two new schools and expand nine others. As economic recession continues affecting the county, many parents are transferring their children from private to public schools.

In conjunction with the rising birth rate, school overcrowding has become an issue. There are a total of 437 “portables” in the county. The proposal will build and expand schools in areas such as Bethesda, Gaithersburg and Germantown, while focusing on the quickly-growing Clarksburg area. The plan spans from 2011 to 2016 and includes a $253.2 million expenditure for 2011, 16% of the approved spending for that year. School infrastructure, such as the heating, air conditioning and facilitated access for the disabled, will also be addressed. Many support Weast’s plan, while others are waiting for more specific details about the plan and state support. School board President Shirley Bradman supported Weast’s proposal, saying “These are things we want to get done … Candidly, I think the political conversation is ‘Is this something we can afford not to do’?”