Montgomery County taps Virginia educator as next superintendent

Thomas Taylor was introduced Monday as the new superintendent of Montgomery County Public Schools. Photo courtesy Montgomery County Public Schools

Stafford County, Virginia, Public Schools Superintendent Thomas Taylor will be the next superintendent for Montgomery County Public Schools, school system officials announced Monday.

The selection of Taylor followed a national search that consisted of community forums, focus groups and a districtwide survey, among other outreach intended to collect local input, and follows the tumultuous departure of former Superintendent Monifa McKnight in February. Taylor  will be formally appointed at the school board’s June 25 business meeting, according to officials.

During Taylor’s introductory news conference Monday, Montgomery County Board of Education President Karla Silvestre pointed to his long resume of school leadership and expertise on school policy as well as a background in finance.

“This unique marriage of an instructional leader with deep understanding of school finance is a powerful combination in a school leader,” Silvestre said at the news conference .

‘Not here to bring a wrecking ball’

Taylor has more than 25 years of experience in education, with about 12 years of district-level leadership and six as a superintendent. For his performance in Stafford County, he was named the 2024 Virginia Region III Superintendent of the Year.

In Stafford County, Taylor oversaw 4,300 employees in 33 schools teaching 31,000 students with a $415 million budget. In Montgomery County, he will be in charge of almost 25,000 employees in 211 schools with a student body of 160,554 and a more than $3 billion operating budget .

When asked about how he will approach handling the transition to a much larger budget, Taylor said he believes his previous experience — including as interim chief financial officer of Chesterfield County Public Schools in Virginia — is “scalable.”

“In building a budget, the fundamentals don’t change despite the size, and it is something that I’m actually looking forward to,” he said.

In Stafford, Taylor oversaw the construction of three new schools, launched a strategic plan for the district and established two partnerships with the JED Foundation to implement direct mental health support for students, according to a news release from that county’s public school system.

He has a doctoral degree in education from the University of Virginia and a master’s of business administration from the College of William and Mary.

In addition to his professional history, Taylor has personal ties to the district — he was attended Montgomery County Public Schools from kindergarten through his senior year of high school, he said Monday.

“I’m really excited to get reacquainted with our community and to make new relationships,” Taylor said. “I’m confident that you will see and hear from me a lot, but please know that you can always count on me to do a lot of listening.”

In his remarks Monday, Taylor stressed his intent to focus on collaboration, campus safety and student equity across the district, noting that “the experience of some students in Gaithersburg is wildly different than the experience of some students in Potomac.”

Taylor, who made local headlines in January as the head of Stafford County Public Schools when he posted a rap video announcing the district’s first snow day of the year, emphasized his desire to foster a campus culture built on values like “mutual respect and innovation.”

“I’m not here to bring a wrecking ball to anything, but rather to preserve that which is already working and enhance those areas that need improvement,” he said.

Changes in MCPS leadership

Monday’s announcement follows the February resignation of McKnight , who was about two years into her four-year contract when she announced her departure.

McKnight left amid controversy over the school system’s handling of sexual harassment and bullying allegations against former Farquhar Middle School Principal Joel Beidleman, who was promoted under her leadership.

McKnight received $1.3 million as part of a separation agreement with the district and agreed not to sue the school board.

Interim superintendent Monique Felder remained in the position following McKnight’s departure and will transition out of the position in the coming weeks.

When asked Monday about how he plans to approach allegations of misconduct, Taylor said the district must “take everything very seriously” and pay close attention to how such issues come about.

As part of Maryland Matters’ content sharing agreement with WTOP, we feature this article from Kate Corliss. WTOP’s Ivy Lyons contributed to this report. Click here for the WTOP News website.

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