The Montgomery County Board of Education announced this week that Dr. Thomas W. Taylor will serve as the next MCPS Superintendent. The Board will formally appoint Taylor at a regularly scheduled business meeting, June 25.

Taylor currently serves as Superintendent of Stafford County Public Schools, Virginia’s eighth-largest school district, overseeing 33 schools, 31,000 students and 4,300 staff. Taylor attended Westland Middle School and Bethesda Chevy-Chase High School, where he played football, before graduating from Virginia Wesleyan University, the University of Virginia and the College of William & Mary for his Bachelor’s and Master’s studies. 

Sophomore Jessica Fox, a Whitman Student Government Association member, believes Taylor’s appointment could benefit the county.

“Dr. Taylor seems like a great candidate to serve as the new superintendent with his decades of experience in Virginia and vast knowledge of budget allocation,” Fox said. “The county needs new perspectives like his to address a diverse range of issues.”

The announcement comes after a long search following the Feb. 2 resignation of Former Superintendent Monifa McKnight. The sudden resignation followed MCPS’ alleged mishandling of sexual and verbal harassment accusations against Former Principal Joel Beidleman.

The Board conducted a nationwide search focused on community input through surveys, forums, community meetings, focus groups and interview panels. The overarching qualities the Board looked for in candidates were transparency, accountability, integrity and community engagement. 

During the transition period, the Board of Education conducted interviews and scouted possible candidates, meanwhile, Dr. Monique Felder served as the interim superintendent. Felder, a former teacher and principal at several MCPS schools, will continue to serve as the superintendent until June 30. 

Whitman parent Olivia Easley has mixed feelings regarding the appointment.

“I’m not overly optimistic about how big of a difference a new superintendent will have,” Easley said. “Nevertheless, it’s great that MCPS has found a superintendent committed to helping the students in the long term.”

Before serving in Stafford County, Taylor was the Deputy Superintendent in Chesterfield County, the 2016 Region III Superintendent of the Year for Middlesex County and the University of Virginia’s Alumni Outstanding Principal in 2012. 

In addition to his current position at Stafford County, Taylor is one of Virginia’s commissioners on the Education Commission of the States, a College Board Superintendent Advisory Council member and a co-leader of the National STEM Consortium. Taylor and his wife Sue are parents to five children.

“I grew up in Montgomery County and graduated from our schools,” Taylor said in a video message. “As a longtime educator, I am deeply passionate about the role of education in shaping our children’s future.”