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The operation of the county school system (www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org) is the responsibility of Superintendent Jerry D. Weast who has led the school system since August 1999 and whose contract runs through June 2011.
Weast has pushed several initiatives aimed at closing the achievement gap between racial, ethnic and economic groups. The school system under Weast has expanded full-day kindergarten and lowered class sizes in low-income regions of the county where students generally do worse on standardized tests. The system also has focused on early childhood reading programs and encouraging high school students to take more challenging courses.

Board of Education
The Board of Education is the official policy-making body for Montgomery County Public Schools. Members serve four-year terms. Elections are held every two years. Three, then four, board positions are filled in alternating election cycles.
District 2, 4 and an at-large seat held by Sharon Cox are up for election this year.
Two candidates run at-large, and five candidates represent the school board district in which they live. All candidates, however, are elected countywide.

The school board members are:
-Judith Ringgold Docca (Dist. 1) of Montgomery Village, first term ends 2010
-Stephen N. Abrams (Dist. 2) of Rockville, term ends 2008; also served 1992-96 and 1998-2002
-Patricia B. O'Neill (Dist. 3) of Bethesda, third term ends 2010
-Christopher S. Barclay (Dist. 4) of Takoma Park, first term ends December 2008
-Nancy Navarro (Dist. 5) of Silver Spring, board president, first full term ends 2010
-Sharon W. Cox (At-large) of Germantown, second term ends 2008
-Shirley Brandman (At-large) of Bethesda, board vice president, first term ends 2010
-Quratul-Ann Malik, student board member, one-year term ends June 30, 2009
All e-mail communications should be addressed to boe@mcpsmd.org. Written correspondence can be sent to 850 Hungerford Drive, Rockville, MD 20850.

School board meetings
The board meets twice a month, usually at 10 a.m. on the second Tuesday and at 6 p.m. on the second Monday after that. Dates and times are subject to change.
Most board meetings are held in the Board of Education's conference room in the Carver Education Services Center, 850 Hungerford Drive in Rockville. Meetings also are broadcast on Montgomery County Public Schools Cable Television channel 34.

Students
Montgomery County's public school population is growing and becoming more diverse. Since 1983, the enrollment in county public schools has risen from about 91,000 in 1983 to more than 137,000 this year.
Once nearly entirely white, the school system's population no longer has a majority racial or ethnic group; more than 50 percent of students are classified as African American, Asian American, Hispanic or Native American. MCPS students hail from more than 160 foreign countries.
Of the county's school-age children, more than 80 percent are enrolled in public school. The rest attend private schools or are home-schooled.
Each school serves students who live within the boundaries of one of the county's high school clusters. Clusters include one or more high schools, one or more middle schools and several elementary schools.
To determine which cluster of schools serves your area, call 240-314-4710.

Registration
Maryland law requires children ages 5 to 16 to attend school. Children who turn 5 on or before Sept. 1, 2007, must enroll in school for the 2007-08 school year. Elementary and secondary schools hold registration sessions through the summer.
Students who are not U.S. citizens may register at the International Student Admissions Office, Rocking Horse Road Center, 4910 Macon Road, Rockville. For information call 301-230-0686.
To register for school, new students need to show a valid birth certificate, immunization record and proof of county residency.