As concerned members of the community, we call upon the Montgomery County Public Schools System to put an immediate end to the unfair treatment of esteemed educator Rahman A. Culver. For the better part of the last decade, Mr. Culver has contributed to our county as a classroom teacher, a department chair, a diversity specialist, and most recently was recruited by the school district to be an assistant principal — all at the very high school from which he graduated: Montgomery Blair High School in Silver Spring, Md. 

In February 2024, the school district used racially discriminatory staffing guidelines that disproportionately targeted administrators of color like Mr. Culver, and led to the abolishment of his role as an administrator at Montgomery Blair High School. (Source: Former MCPS administrator sues for racial discrimination by Ashlyn Campbell, Bethesda Magazine, April 9, 2025) Despite serving as an acting assistant principal for two years, the school district refused to allow him to apply for a permanent role as an administrator anywhere in the school district. What, might you ask, was the justification for denying him such an opportunity? 

The school system used the excuse that Culver is unqualified to be a permanent administrator, suggesting that he has not demonstrated his competence for the job because he lacks a completed “internship” (despite the fact that he was as an acting assistant principal for two years).

We have all seen firsthand how important it is to have someone like Mr. Culver in a leadership role in a school building. Young men and women of color see him, and they see themselves and new possibilities. It would be impossible to quantify the impact he has made, but we have seen it and know how valuable it is. Mr. Culver is appreciated by every student and staff member who interacts with him. 

There is a teacher and administrator shortage in our school district and the country. In the last 20 years, there have only been three Black male administrators before Mr. Culver at Montgomery Blair High School. He is an empathetic, experienced, community-minded educator. Culver’s displacement during this political climate has sent a message that good people who serve their community are expendable.

The award-winning, student-produced documentary, “The School Within the School” (Source: “The School Within a School” Mini-Documentary by Sofia Woldeab, Winner of Montgomery County Inaugural Youth Anti-Racist Film Festival, 2024) provides a glimpse into the work that Mr. Culver has dedicated to the school district to increase equity and fairness for all community members. 

 

 

 

 

Adding insult to injury, in retaliation for Mr. Culver’s self advocacy and refusal to accept a temporary, provisional administrator role, the school system demoted him to the role of a classroom teacher at another school 30 miles away with a $25,000.00 reduction in annual salary. (Source: Maryland teacher sues school district for alleged racial discrimination, by Tisha Lewis, Sylvia Mphofe, FOX 5 News, April 2, 2025) 

We demand that the Board of Education take the following actions to right these wrongs:

1. Immediately reinstate Rahman A. Culver as a permanent assistant principal at Montgomery Blair High School
2. Eliminate the racially discriminatory staffing guidelines that led to his original position abolishment and disproportionately target educators of color
3. Stop the arbitrary use of “internship” requirements that bar opportunities for administrator candidates 

We trust that you will listen to the will of your constituents and take the necessary steps to provide appropriate restoration for the wrongs Mr. Culver has experienced. 

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About Rahman A. Culver:

Rahman A. Culver is an educational equity advocate who has taught in both the Prince George’s and Montgomery County Public School Systems in the state of Maryland. He is a former special education teacher, social studies department chair, diversity specialist and administrator at his alma mater Montgomery Blair High School. His work has been featured in numerous national and local​ publications, as well as documentaries and museum exhibitions. Culver earned a B.A. in African-American Studies from the University of Maryland, an M.P.A. from George Mason University, and is certified in secondary social studies and special education.