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ROCKVILLE, Md., Jan. 8, 2020—Craig Rice, chair of the Montgomery County Council’s Education and Culture Committee; Dr. Jack Smith, superintendent of Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS); Dr. DeRionne Pollard, president of Montgomery College (college), and Dr. Stewart Edelstein, executive director of The Universities at Shady Grove (USG) will host the first of two community meetings on the County’s State of Education on Tuesday, Jan. 28 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. The meeting will take place at Montgomery College Germantown in the Bioscience Educational Center, room 151 (20200 Observation Drive in Germantown). This community meeting is an opportunity to discuss academic readiness, career pathways and work-based learning opportunities that take our students from pre-kindergarten to careers. With an emphasis on the educational continuum and intentional collaboration among county government, MCPS, Montgomery College and USG, the four presenters will share state and county initiatives to support a robust education system. The evenings will highlight educational programs and experiential opportunities that place our students onto pathways that lead to job readiness and career attainment. Speakers will discuss how their educational partnerships are focused on preparing all students with the lifelong learning skills needed for the jobs of the future. The meetings also will provide information on current state and county funding proposals as part of the fiscal year 2021 budget process. The Council will adopt the County budget in May, which will go into effect on July 1. “The education of our children is of the highest priority,” said Councilmember Rice. “Sharing the current State of Education in Montgomery County, ensures that our community members are aware of the initiatives we are implementing to improve educational outcomes. We also want to hear from community members about what is working well and where we should focus our efforts. Our overarching goal is to ensure a pathway from pre-K to J (pre-Kindergarten to Job) with a focus on preparing our students for the jobs of the future.” Each community meeting will be held from 6:30-8:30 p.m. The second community meeting will be held on March 4, 2020 at Northwood High School (919 University Blvd in Silver Spring) in the cafeteria. There will be a question and answer session following the speakers’ presentations. For further information about the community meetings, contact Councilmember Rice’s office at 240-777-7955 or email him at: Councilmember.Rice@montgomerycountymd.gov .