Good morning, Rockville.

Twelve high school bands performed Saturday at the MCPS Marching Band Showcase at Albert Einstein High School, where Wheaton revived its marching band and students shared halftime-style shows (noncompetitive) to build connections.

Montgomery County Public Schools faces an estimated $3 billion backlog in deferred maintenance (including plumbing, HVAC and roofing), and the County Council reviewed MCPS’s FY27 operating budget after cuts that eliminated 46 jobs and trimmed $1.6 million from contracted mental-health services. The school board will set capital priorities as enrollment shifts, with central Rockville projected to grow.

MCPS presented fall assessment data Thursday in Rockville showing Black and Latino students trailed white and Asian peers on DIBELS, MAP and mCLASS tests, with much lower rates for FARMS (Free and Reduced-price Meal System), IEP, and emergent multilingual learners.

The district said it will release the state report card this week and roll out student profiles and risk letters.

Montgomery County Council is holding informational hearings this month to decide whether to keep the Dickerson waste-to-energy plant or close it and long-haul trash to a landfill, a shift the operator says would add about 100 tractor-trailers per day at Shady Grove Transfer Station (Derwood) and could cost taxpayers up to $1.4 billion over 30 years.