In the past three Montgomery County Board of Education monthly meetings, more than a dozen testimonies from students in local robotics teams have highlighted challenges in funding and access to manufacturing facilities.
Swarnika Maharajan, a sophomore at Poolesville High School and team member of Germantown-based robotics team 47 Beavers, stressed the impact a lack of funding has on hundreds of students in Montgomery County.
“Many teams, such as FRC Team 4099 from Poolesville High School, have struggled due to a lack of access to manufacturing, assembly, and testing across multiple spaces, heavily impacting their ability to practice and build consistently,” she explained in her written testimony representing the Moco Robo Initiative, a coalition of robotics teams across the country.
Maharjan also emphasized the financial barriers faced by many students.
“Teams fees upwards of $500 is commonplace to cover registration, materials, and travel, making robotics a privilege for few rather than an opportunity for all,” stated Maharjan.
Aanshi Patel, captain of Team 4099, shared her experience mentoring younger FIRST LEGO League teams in an interview with The Pulse. She described how passion and talent often clashed with limited resources.
“The passion was there. The talent was there. What wasn’t always there were the resources,” said Patel.
Patel recounted that families struggle to afford LEGO kits and registration costs, which shows how these financial gaps restrict participation.
Lasya Sripathi of the Robotech’s team pointed out specific equipment challenges that affect team performance. She explained that her coaches had to cover over $3,000 due to limited grant or sponsorship support, which diverted funds away from acquiring new tools. Sripathi also mentioned the inaccessibility of getting proper technology.
“We weren’t able to get a 3D printer in time, which prevented us from advancing,” stated Sripathi, noting that this forced her team to rely on members’ schools for equipment, causing further delays.
These students’ experiences mirror broader inequities in extracurricular funding discussed in an interview with Board of Education member Grace Rivera-Oven.
“We have amazing young people in our community who want to participate in after-school programs, whether it be sports, or robotics, but there are some schools who can and some schools who can, some schools who absolutely can’t,” Rivera-Oven said, calling for stronger community partnerships and funding assistance from the state to bridge the financial divides countywide.
The Maryland Robotics Grant, which was approved from the 2026 fiscal year, aims to help schools and students overcome some of the funding challenges faced by robotics teams all throughout the state. According to the grant’s official description, funds can be used to “purchase robotics kits and equipment,” and “develop curriculum and instructional materials.” The program is designed to give students access to robotics education that aligns with Maryland’s K-12 Computer Science Standards and Standards for Technological and Engineering Literacy. The grant encourages schools to offer robotics either during the school day or as extracurricular activities, and it supports both the creation of new programs and the expansion of existing ones. However, because the grant is newly introduced this year, its full effects on improving access and funding for robotics teams are not yet clear.
Despite the promise of this grant, students and board members continue to call for more direct support and better coordination. One common point made throughout student testimonies is the urgent need for a county-level robotics committee. This committee would create a clear communication channel between robotics teams and the county administration, organize shared spaces for manufacturing/testing, and help manage resources. Mahajaran emphasized this need, saying that the committee would allow everyone to collaborate on solutions. She highlighted that this is critical if robotics in Montgomery County is going to “not only survive but thrive.”
