Parents rally against “Option H,” fearing community disruption and overcrowding at Crown High. School officials say it’s a money decision.
ROCKVILLE, Md. — A new school boundary proposal in Montgomery County is sparking fierce backlash among parents, echoing recent tensions seen across the Potomac in Fairfax County.
This afternoon, Montgomery County’s superintendent rolled out a series of recommendations for new school boundaries. The most controversial among them: a proposal to permanently close Thomas S. Wootton High School in Rockville.
The $300 Million Dilemma
The driving force behind the potential closure is the aging infrastructure of the current Wootton building. According to school officials, the facility requires an estimated $300 million in renovations to meet modern standards—a sum they say the county simply does not have available.
“We have more needs than funding available,” said Andrea Swiatocha with Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS).
While the funds for a total overhaul are missing, the county is nearing completion on a brand-new facility: Crown High School in Gaithersburg. The superintendent’s recommendation suggests relocation to leverage this new asset.
“Option H” and the Community Backlash
The proposal, known as Option H, would redraw boundary lines to move the majority of the Wootton student body to the new Crown High School location. Under this plan, the current Wootton site would likely be repurposed as a “holding school” for other campuses undergoing repairs.
For parents like Sylvia Mwangi, the news came as a shock. “I never participate in anything in the county, but Option H has made me realize how much we need to fight for our children,” she said.
Students and parents expressed several key concerns during recent board meetings:
- Community Disruption: Moving students out of their long-standing neighborhood school threatens the local community identity.
- Overcrowding: Fears that redistributing students will lead to over-capacity issues at other nearby schools.
- Safety and Maintenance: While some acknowledge the building’s flaws, they argue for renovation over relocation.
“All we needed was for our school to be renovated,” Mwangi said. “Instead, just because someone raised their hand to say that (Wootton) is a problem—they shut you down.”
What’s Next?
If the district chooses not to move forward with the closure/relocation, officials warn it could take nearly a decade to secure the necessary funding to fix the existing Wootton facility.
The Montgomery County Board of Education is expected to take the new boundaries to a final vote in March. Until then, parents say they will continue to share their opinions at every public meeting.
“It’s not a building, it is us,” Mwangi said. “We are Wootton.”