Montgomery County Public Schools appreciates the Office of the Inspector General’s review of MCPS procurement practices and concurs with all findings and recommendations. The issues identified reflect practices that predate the current MCPS administration—conditions this administration is now actively and aggressively correcting. We fully acknowledge the need for improvement and the urgency to address procurement irregularities to build public trust.

“As the new superintendent, I am frustrated to continue to discover operational challenges that originated prior to this administration and should have been corrected long ago. Accurate processes and strong internal controls are not optional—they are fundamental,” said Superintendent Thomas W. Taylor. “Our community’s trust depends on our discipline, and so does my own confidence in our work moving forward. We will address these findings directly, we will correct the underlying systems, and we will stay with this work until it is done—because it must be done.”

The MCPS administration views these findings as symptoms of the erosion in recent years of critical processes and fiscal procedures. These system weaknesses must and are being repaired to ensure MCPS operates with the rigor and accountability our community expects.

Consistent with the superintendent’s clear direction, MCPS is taking the following action steps aligned to each finding and recommendation:

• The Division of Financial Management began work in July 2025, before the OIG report was issued, to fully update the Financial Manual and Procurement Manual.  This will establish clear workflows, responsibilities, and documentation requirements. 
• Training on procurement practices began in June 2025, and continued with school and central office leaders at last week’s Administrative & Supervisory meeting. Full publication of the revised manuals remains on track for February 2026. Additional staff training will take place in April and June of 2026. As part of training, MCPS will check for understanding to ensure proficiency in procurement practices with all responsible staff on an ongoing basis. 
• A new supplier expenditure tracking report—designed to flag cumulative vendor payments approaching the $25,000 threshold for Board of Education approval—will be operational by December 1, 2025. 
• The OIG report identified cases where individuals were paid as contractors while also listed as employees—almost all of them retirees or at least in one instance, a previous contractor who transitioned to full employment status.  New controls—effective December 1, 2025—will ensure that no active employee can be hired or paid as a contractor and that required pre-approval for retirees is consistently documented. 

The superintendent has been direct: MCPS will continue to correct these problems and will not allow systemic operational lapses to persist. The work underway is deliberate, disciplined, and responds to the findings in the Office of Inspector General’s report.

MCPS remains committed to:

• reinstating stronger internal controls,
• Validation and audit of ongoing and past actions,
• delivering consistent and updated systemwide training, and
• ensuring full compliance with law, regulation, and best practice in every school and office.

This is not simply improvement work—it is mission-critical work, and MCPS will complete it with urgency and transparency.