<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=4Nl5rg_1GvdUQNk00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=4Nl5rg_1GvdUQNk00" width="225" height="500" ><figcaption>Senior Noam Reich conducts a lab during his dual enrollment class. “This is a fractional distillation of ethyl acetate and butyl acetate,” Reich said. Photo courtesy of senior Noam Reich.</figcaption></figure>On June 4, 2026, the MCPS Board of Education (BOE) approved a budget that included a $1.4 million funding reduction for the dual enrollment program as part of a larger $36 million deficit in the budget. This reduction includes cuts to tuition coverage and learning materials.Dual enrollment provides an opportunity for students to pursue classes that interest them but aren’t offered at their high school. MCPS’s cuts have limited the courses eligible for funding, preventing students who would otherwise rely on MCPS funding from taking certain higher-level courses.“[MCPS] got rid of most of the higher-level courses that aren’t offered at WJ, so next year I will have to pay to take Linear Algebra,” junior Kenji Kirby said.Senior Noam Reich is currently enrolled in Organic Chemistry I at Montgomery College (MC) but will not be able to take Organic Chemistry II. He is instead forced to take General Physics I due to the reduction in courses caused.<blockquote>When most of the funding was cut for this program, it was devastating, because it meant I would not be able to take the more advanced class I wanted to take.”— Noam Reich, 12</blockquote>MCPS now requires students to meet either need-based or College and Career Readiness (CCR) standards to receive funding. CCR standards include: SAT scores of 480 or above on the evidence-based reading and writing section and 530 or more on the math section or an ACT score of 21 for math and English. MCPS also requires an unweighted GPA of 2.75 or higher for juniors and 2.5 or higher for seniors.There are three main dual enrollment programs, which are Jump Start to College, Middle College program and Early College program. The Jump Start to College program provides opportunities for juniors and seniors to earn college credit. The Middle College programs are both in-person and virtual and allow students to take college-level courses throughout high school, beginning in their sophomore year, allowing them to earn college credits. Students can apply to the Early College in their sophomore year and complete it during their junior and senior years by taking classes at MC to earn an Associate’s degree.“I was planning on taking World Music; however, I’m [going to] have to take American Popular Music instead,” junior Nick Kyprianou said.MCPS’s cuts to funding for dual enrollment programs have impacted students’ access to courses and ability to pay for them. Although some courses are still offered to students, many more advanced or obscure courses have been removed from the funding-approved list. This development has left many students upset with MCPS’s financial decision-making.“It was a very bad decision on MCPS’s behalf because now students’ access to more challenging courses [is] greatly reduced,” Reich said.</div></body>

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On June 4, 2026, the MCPS Board of Education (BOE) approved a budget that included a $1.4 million funding reduction for the dual enrollment program as part of a larger $36 million deficit in the budget. This reduction includes cuts to tuition coverage and learning materials. Dual enrollment provides an...

MCPS cuts dual enrollment funding

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On June 4, 2026, the MCPS Board of Education (BOE) approved a budget that included a $1.4 million funding reduction for the dual enrollment program as part

MCPS cuts dual enrollment funding

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