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Proud to have Montgomery Planning’s Reforest Montgomery Program support these local student leaders! Click to read👇 and hear from Kelsey Desmond, our forest conservation planner!

Oh, don’t forget to check out our blog featuring the students “Greening the Gaps” initiative, too:
https://montgomeryplanning.org/blog-design/2026/04/greening-the-gaps-how-local-students-are-transforming-small-spaces-into-community-parks/

Today, in #Boyds, a new historic marker was placed at the former Edward U. Taylor School to honor the buildings story of segregation and the fight for educational equality in the county: https://bit.ly/4uyfeOn

Built in 1952, the Edward U. Taylor School stands as a testament to the Black community’s decades-long fight for educational equality in Montgomery County. The school was made possible through tireless advocacy by parents, teachers, and civil rights leaders—and named for Edward Ulysses Taylor, a lifelong champion for equitable education.

In 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Brown v. Broad of Education ended systematic segregation. In June 1961, the Taylor School became the last public elementary school in the county to desegregate. It was the only segregated school to reopen as a school after integration. It stopped operating as a school in 1979. The building remains a powerful reminder of the Boyds community’s perseverance and progress.

This new marker helps ensure these stories are recognized, remembered, and shared. This initiative also reflects a broader commitment to equity in preservation—bringing forward stories that have shaped our communities but have too often gone unrecognized.

Thank you to Montgomery County MD Council Vice President Councilmember Marilyn Balcombe, Montgomery County Public Schools Deputy Chief of Facilities Management Andrea Swiatocha, members of MCPS, members of Edward U. Taylor's family and friends, and neighbors in Boyds for joining us today.

Montgomery Parks
#HistoricPreservationMonth #RemarkableMontgomery #UntoldStories #BoydsMD #EquityInPreservation

This Bike Month, we’re spotlighting a Planning Board Commissioner who lives the values he plans for. 🚲

From family bike rides to big-picture transportation decisions, Commissioner Josh Linden shares his vision for communities that truly welcome cyclists and walkers.

📖 Get to know him in our latest blog post: https://bit.ly/49BL70m