Public Information
Under Maryland’s Public Information Act (PIA), citizens have the right to request public records from state and local agencies, including school systems. Better Maryland Schools regularly submits PIA requests to Frederick County Public Schools to better understand how policies are implemented, how funds are spent, and how programs are operating in practice.
Below is a curated collection of selected findings based on official responses from FCPS. Each item links directly to the original public record so parents, voters, journalists, and candidates can review the source material themselves.
Our goal is simple: transparency, accountability, and informed public discussion based on primary source data.
Budget
Maryland Association of School Board Costs
Finding
FCPS reported spending over $48,000 on membership and other fees paid to the Maryland Association of School Boards (MABE) between 2021 and 2024.
Why this matters
One of MABE’s stated purposes is to advocate on behalf of local school boards. However, school boards have struggled in recent years to retain autonomy from the Maryland Department of Education and State Superintendent, raising questions about MABE’s effectiveness and whether this cost is justified.
Context
See here and here for two examples of the Maryland State Board overruling local decisions. These decisions were ultimately upheld. In 2025, Maryland law granted the State Superintendent authority to overrule certain local curriculum decisions and to withhold funding for noncompliance.
Documents
FCPS Acknowledgement Letter (3/20/2025) and FCPS-provided details on MABE costs.
Counselor Training Contract/MOU
Finding
FCPS reported that it has no record of a contract or MOU with The Frederick Center despite prior public statements suggesting otherwise.
Why this matters
This raises questions about the transparency of the procurement process, who was hired, their qualifications, and the quality of the materials presented. The subject of this training was gender dysphoria, an area of active debate within the medical and psychological communities.
Documents
FCPS Acknowledgement Letter Showing No Matching Records (5/28/2025)
Academics
Students Identified With Dyslexia
Finding
FCPS reported that approximately 2.5% of enrolled students have been formally identified as having dyslexia.
Why this matters
National research commonly estimates dyslexia prevalence between 5% and 20% of students, raising questions about identification and support practices.
Documents
FCPS Acknowledgement Letter (1/19/2024) and FCPS-provided dyslexia identification by school
Graduation Proficiency Rates
Finding
FCPS reported that 31.8% of enrolled students meet college and career readiness standards expected for graduation.
Why this matters
Despite spending nearly $1 billion annually (about $20,000 per student), most students do not meet proficiency standards, calling into question whether taxpayers and citizens are getting adequate educational returns on this level of spending.
Documents
FCPS Response Letter (11/23/2023)
Recruiting a Diverse Workforce
Finding
FCPS reported that it recruited 5 staff members from historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) from 1/2022 to 10/2024.
Why this matters
FCPS policy requires the recruitment of a diverse workforce, so these results call into question the effectiveness of its efforts.
Documents
FCPS Acknowledgement Letter (10/18/2024) and FCPS-provided career fair results.
Recruiting an Academically Successful Workforce
Finding
FCPS does not track the academic scores of its staff or set goals for recruiting academically successful teaching and administrative candidates.
Why this matters
FCPS policy aims to “champion professional and student excellence,” but does not currently provide a mechanism for holding itself accountable for doing so.
Documents
FCPS Response Letter (4/4/2024)
Parental Rights
Homeschooling
Finding
Homeschooling enrollment grew from 1,655 in 2010 to 2,571 in 2023.
Why this matters
As homeschooling has grown, parents who choose this option have raised concerns during recent MSDE regulatory review processes about the adoption of more restrictive regulations.
Documents
FCPS Acknowledgement Letter (1/22/2024) and FCPS-provided homeschool enrollment data from 2010-2023. Updated data from 2023-2026
Preferred Names & Pronouns
Finding
From 2020 to 2024, hundreds of students had preferred names or pronouns each year. Note: These do not necessarily indicate a gender identity change in every case, making estimation difficult.
Why this matters
Per its policy, FCPS may choose to not inform parents of their children’s preferred pronouns, at the child’s request. Based on the data linked in the description of this video from a former FCPS administrator it is possible that quite a few parents are unaware of their child’s gender related concerns.
Documents
FCPS Provided Annual Data (4/15/2024)
All data shown above comes from official Frederick County Public Schools responses to Maryland Public Information Act requests. Better Maryland Schools provides this information for public transparency and does not alter the contents of the original records other than redacting the personally identifying information of the requestor.