The ‘hunger games signup’ for public comment is roiling Montgomery County PTAs

As the Montgomery County school board prepares to make high-stakes decisions about how to allocate precious dollars, it has changed the way that some parents are able to weigh in.

For years, PTA representatives from every cluster of MCPS campuses were automatically given time at the microphone during public hearings on the capital budget. They tried to make the most of these minutes to convince district officials that their local schools needed new roofs, HVAC systems and other upgrades.

Now these “cluster coordinators” will have to sign up for limited slots in the same process as all other community members.

That’s not sitting well with the Montgomery County Council of PTAs.

“Cluster coordinators can still testify, but you will have to participate in the hunger games signup process and hope to be chosen,” the group’s president, Brigid Howe, wrote in an email to parents.

Howe emphasized that it can be hard to secure a speaker slot if you don’t sign up at the moment registration opens — which is difficult for parents with hectic personal and work lives. Eliminating designated time for cluster coordinators is “a slap in the face” to a group of dedicated parent volunteers, she said.

“Cluster coordinators spend hours every year having phone calls, meetings, Zooms, visiting the schools in their cluster to understand their needs, especially the capital needs,” Howe said. “They work very hard to make sure that they’re being representative of their cluster community, and having that voice taken away is disappointing.”

‘As many speakers as possible’

Board spokeswoman Edith Lozada Salgado said in a statement that updates to the public hearing process were meant to “expand opportunities for families and community members to participate.”

In 2025, cluster coordinators’ testimony took about an hour at each of two public hearings.

These hearings are scheduled for four hours, and the board wants to hear “as many speakers as possible,” Lozada Salgado said.

The board acknowledges that not everyone who wants to testify will be able to, so it encourages those who don’t get a spot to submit written testimony.

“These changes reflect the board’s commitment to providing accessible opportunities for families and community members to share their perspectives and contribute,” Lozada Salgado wrote.

But some now worry that people from a handful of school communities will monopolize slots, crowding out the voices of those who represent families from across the entire district.

The first public hearing on the fiscal year 2028 Capital Budget and Capital Improvements Program is scheduled for Oct. 26 at 5 p.m.

Those who wish to provide public comment can register beginning Oct. 15 at 6 p.m.

“As space is limited, interested individuals are encouraged to sign up as early as possible,” reads the district webpage.