When the new school year started, 98 percent of teacher positions were filled, Montgomery County Public Schools Chief Talent Manager Officer Kaylan Connally told members of the county council’s Education and Culture Committee Thursday.
During the previous school year, MCPS lacked numerous special education teachers and paraeducators. Therefore, Board of Education members added 688 new special education positions into the budget—188 for teachers and 500 for paraeducators.
Connally said that 98 percent of the goal was reached with the start of the 2025-26 academic school year. Specifically, in the following areas:
- 95% – Special education teaching slots filled.
- 93% – Paraeducator positions filled
- 98% – Emergent Multilingual Learners teaching positions filled
MCPS hired 846 new teachers, which is 22 percent higher than the previous school year, according to Connally.
The new teachers are a diverse group. African-Americans made up 21 percent of the new hires, compared with 13 percent in the previous school year. Hispanics made up 16 percent of the new hires, compared with 10 percent during the previous school year.
Still needed are 113 elementary level teachers, 44 middle school teachers and 34 high school teachers, Connally said.
She explained that the school district was able to hire so many paraeducators because a new tiered salary system was established. There are three levels of paraeducators, with level three being used to support the students with the most extensive needs.
