Monifa McKnight Steps Down, Monique Felder Hired as Interim Superintendent

On February 2, Superintendent Monifa McKnight declared her departure from the Montgomery County Public Schools Board of Education in a “mutually agreed separation.” McKnight, the first woman to hold this position, previously served as the MCPS deputy superintendent. Her leave is set approximately two years into her contract with the district, which was arranged to end in 2026. 

McKnight was asked by the Board of Education to step down from her position after facing scrutiny due to her involvement in the misconduct claims against Joel Beidleman, former principal of Farquhar Middle School. In August of 2023, shortly after the announcement of Beidleman’s new position as Principal of Paint Branch High School, the Washington Post published an article that detailed the numerous reports made to MCPS over the last seven years regarding sexual misconduct towards staff members. Beidlemen was placed on extended leave after the publication, and MCPS announced the start of their independent investigation, urging teachers and staff involved to come forward. 

In January, the Montgomery County Office of the Inspector General released a report explaining that MCPS had deficiencies in the methods used to handle misconduct complaints against employees. The report came shortly after McKnight was asked to resign, and mentioned the fact that Beidleman was promoted in July despite the continuous reports of his misconduct that came forth. 

Dr. Monique Felder was hired to fill this space temporarily as interim superintendent on Tuesday, February 6. Having worked previously as the superintendent of Orange County Public Schools in North Carolina, the Metro Nashville Public Schools as Chief Academic Officer, and as an executive director for Prince George’s County Public Schools, Felder has a wide array of experience under her belt. Additionally, she previously served as a teacher, assistant principal, and principal in MCPS, so the county is already familiar grounds for her. In her letter to MCPS families, she wrote:

“It is with immense pleasure and a sense of coming home that I write to reintroduce myself as the Interim Superintendent of Montgomery County Public Schools. To many of you, I am not a new face, but rather a returning one with a career spanning 32 years in education, deeply intertwined with the fabric of this incredible district.” 

However, the Board has also noted that they are aware of a previous investigation that Felder was involved in. The resurfaced investigation, initially conducted in 2019, revealed that Felder pocketed money from an educational consultancy without disclosure to the Metro Nashville Public School System. She was serving as the chief academic officer at the time. While she worked in MCPS, she was also a defendant in three lawsuits, all in the early 2000s. It’s also crucial to recognize that Monique Felder separated from her position as Superintendent in Orange County in a strikingly similar fashion to McKnight. 

Felder might have a rocky background when it comes to her experience in MCPS and other leadership roles in other counties, but time will tell how her past reflects on her performance as the interim superintendent. Felder will serve until at least June 30, while the county continues its search for a permanent successor to McKnight.