Back to the Books in Gaithersburg

Summer is over for thousands of Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) students who are heading back to the classroom for the first day of school today.

The first day will have to wait for students at seven county schools that still do not have power following Hurricane Irene. The closed schools are Bradley Hills Elementary, Chevy Chase Elementary, Francis Scott Key Middle, Harmony Hills Elementary, Highland View Elementary, Piney Branch Elementary and Woodlin Elementary.

New MCPS Superintendent Joshua Starr and Montgomery County Board of Education President Christopher Barclay will hold a press conference this morning at Brookhaven Elementary to discuss rising student enrollment and the need for new and improved facilities.

Rachel Carson Elementary School in Kentlands is one of the county schools considered over enrolled.

Still, Kentlands resident Nicole Aschbrenner said she moved her family to Kentlands from Clarksburg a year ago because she liked the schools so much. Her five-year-old son Romey enters kindergarten today.

According to MCPS officials, more than 10,000 additional students are projected to enroll in Montgomery County Public Schools over the next five years, underscoring the need for renovations and new construction.