Interim superintendent selected to steer MCPS through transition phase
MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. - School board members with Montgomery County Public Schools will vote to appoint an interim superintendent Tuesday, days after the district parted ways with Dr. Monifa McKnight.
A vote to appoint Dr. Monique Felder as interim superintendent of MCPS will begin late Tuesday morning at the board meeting. Felder has 32 years of experience in public education, which includes the superintendent of Orange County Public Schools in North Carolina, where she was nominated as regional superintendent of the year.
Felder has ties to MCPS, as she began her career with the district serving as a classroom teacher, assistant principal, and principal. The board said during her time with MCPS, Felder was recognized with the International Reading Association’s Award for Exemplary Reading Programs in the state of Maryland, and as a finalist for The Washington Post’s Outstanding Leadership Award.
Superintendent Dr. Monifa McKnight and MCPS part ways
Nearly two weeks after being asked to resign, Dr. Monifa McKnight agreed mutually with Montgomery County Board of Education to separate, effective Feb. 2.
"In the vein of transparency, the Board wants to make it clear that they are aware of a prior investigation into the financial disclosure reporting of an honorarium received by Dr. Felder from an educational consulting company in 2019. The Board has reviewed the findings and is confident that the findings were unsubstantiated as the report concluded. The Board is confident that Dr. Felder is a trustworthy, upstanding and highly respected educational leader who will be able to competently guide MCPS through this transition," a statement from the school board Monday read.
The upcoming vote Tuesday comes days after the district announced it had parted ways with Dr. Monifa McKnight as superintendent of Montgomery County Public Schools. McKnight disclosed the board’s request for her resignation in mid-January, initially claiming there were no reasons provided by the board. In the same week, the Montgomery County Office of the Inspector General released its second report criticizing the school system’s handling of bullying and sexual harassment allegations.
Monique Felder photo via MCPS
The report is expected to be discussed in a joint hearing Thursday before the Montgomery County Council’s Audit and Education & Culture Committees. District 7 Councilmember Dawn Luedtke and At-Large Councilmember Evan Glass have suggested witnesses should be put under oath for this hearing.
"I would think given there’s ongoing litigation related to this matter, folks are already speaking to their lawyers," Councilmember Luedtke told FOX 5 Monday. "I may come at this from a different mindset because I was a trial lawyer I don’t think people would be coming to the hearing on Thursday with a different mindset whether they are placed under oath in this setting, because there are ongoing litigation matters."
In wake of MCPS superintendent's resignation request, community leaders call for transparency
Group leaders are calling for transparency amid reports that the Montgomery County School Board is pushing for the resignation of Superintendent Dr. Monifa McKnight.
Council president Andrew Friedson said Monday he has consulted with council members, and it is unlikely witnesses will be placed under oath. It is his opinion an action like that will cause more harm than good, he said.
"I understand why colleagues suggested that. I understand why members of the public would be interested in that. I understand it sounds like we would be getting more answers and information. We would see forthrightness," Friedson said. "But I think the reality is, from a practical perspective, the likely outcome is we would get less in return than more. Beyond that, I think it sends a very unfortunate signal that we are at war with the board of education, that we are at work with MCPS leadership, and that this is an adversarial relationship. I don’t think it is that way."
Luedtke said as both a council member and an MCPS parent, it is her hope transparency will prevail in the process of searching for a new superintendent.
"Even though there are surveys that come out now from the school system to gather parent feedback, one of the consistent complaints that has arisen is that parents don’t feel like anything happens with it. How do they build back that trust in having a leader who’s going to engage in that way and not leave the public feeling like they’re sweeping something underneath the carpet?" she explained.
The Board of Education will vote to appoint Dr. Felder to the role of interim during their Board meeting starting at 11 a.m. on Tuesday.