Subject
title
Request for approval of Amendment to the Montgomery County Linkages to Learning Contract to expand services to Twinbrook Elementary School
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Department
Housing and Community Development
Recommendation
Staff recommends that Mayor and Council approve the Amendment to the Montgomery County Linkages to Learning Contract which amends the County budget in order to expand services to Twinbrook Elementary School and authorize the Department of Housing and Community Development to begin the hiring process for a Family Care Manager role that will be dedicated to serve Twinbrook Elementary School.
Discussion
The Montgomery County budget provides funding to expand the city’s Linkages to Learning program at Twinbrook Elementary School beginning in the 2026-2027 school year. For the past year and a half, the City of Rockville has supported Twinbrook Elementary School by providing partial Family Care Management for students and families in need. As Twinbrook officially became a Linkages to Learning School, the City of Rockville was identified as the partnering organization by the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).
The amended budget reflects an increase of $100,000 which has been designated for expenses related to launching and implementing the Linkages to Learning Program at Twinbrook Elementary. The majority of funds will be used for the salary of a full-time Family Care Manager position while the remaining funds will be used for programming, supplies, client assistance and other programmatic needs.
Currently within the Linkages to Learning Program, the City employs two full time employees. The first, (1) a full-time Family Care Manager (FCM) who has been splitting her time (60%/40%) between Maryvale and Twinbrook Elementary School, respectively and (2) a full-time Community School Coordinator (CSC) that is exclusively at Maryvale.
Hiring an additional Family Care Manager at Twinbrook Elementary School will allow the department to serve more families by triaging needs, providing case management, and referring to community resources. This will also allow the existing Family Care Manager to return to Maryvale and provide additional support to families and established programs.
Mayor and Council History
The MCPS Twinbrook Elementary School Feasibility Study Work Session took place on October 6, 2025 to discuss potential options for remodeling the school to rectify multiple challenges within the school.
As part of the discussion, Mayor and Council inquired if these rebuild options would also include space for a Linkages to Learning Suite, which is one of the standard requirements for being able to identify as a Linkages to Learning School.
The outcome of this feasibility study was the decision not to move forward with any of the options to rebuild or renovate Twinbrook Elementary School.
Public Notification and Engagement
Notice of Twinbrook Elementary School now being an official Linkages to Learning School was given May 2026 when the Montgomery County budget was approved and made public.
Additionally, at Twinbrook Community Day on May 27, 2026 city and county council spoke at the event, celebrating the great work being done at the school and announcing that Twinbrook would now be a Linkages to Learning school.
Fiscal Impact
This agreement will expand the linkages to learning program to Twinbrook Elementary and will provide the city with $100,000 in additional funding for staffing and programming. Approval of this agreement indicates authorization of an additional 1.0 FTE Family Care Manager position which is grant-supported. The additional revenue, expenditures, and FTE authorization associated with this agreement will appear on the next budget amendment. All future appropriations are subject to Mayor and Council approval.
Next Steps
Upon Approval, the Department of Housing and Community Development will begin the recruitment process to hire for the full-time Family Care Manager position.