Disappointment With Superintendent’s Recommendation to Close Wootton
The Superintendent's recommendation regarding the Crown/Wootton boundary study is utterly disappointing and frankly infuriating. His suggestion to close Thomas S. Wootton High School and relocate students to the Crown Farm site ignores the reality and history this community shares.
He claims that safety concerns at the current Wootton site justify its closure, yet he then proposes using Wootton as a holding school for other students. If Wootton truly needs repairs, why on earth would it be used as a temporary stopgap for other schools' students? This inconsistency is maddening.
Let's be clear: this is a closure. No matter how it's dressed up with diplomatic language, everyone in Rockville—especially in Wootton—knows that this school, this institution, and all it stands for are being closed down. No mere linguistic change can distract or appease the community.
The flaws in this approach are glaring. First, it completely ignores the expected growth in Gaithersburg and Rockville over the next 5 to 10 years. Both City Councils prioritize economic development and new housing, much of which will be in the Crown/Wootton corridor. If MCPS admits that enrollment is declining and their data was flawed, then they have a duty to investigate why their models failed—not to accept now declining enrollment as a justification for closing Wootton.
The Maryland Building Industry Association also raised substantive concerns about Option H’s long-term planning implications. (https://montgomeryperspective.com/.../builders-oppose.../) When school communities, elected officials and an organization focused on housing, growth, and enrollment demand reach the same conclusion, it underscores that this is not a localized issue, but a countywide planning concern with lasting consequences.
Second, MCPS and the Board of Education have a poor track record of repurposing their unused properties within Rockville. The community around Wootton has watched a neglected, aging property decline further without any clear plan for its future. Now MCPS wants to add another one.
Third, relocating students to Crown as Wootton becomes a holding school will only cause more traffic congestion and logistical nightmares, especially with limited roads into and out of the area. The community's legitimate concerns cannot be ignored.
Finally, it’s obvious this option appeared out of nowhere. After months of debate over options A through G, suddenly this new proposal emerged with little warning and leapfrogged to the front.
Why? That’s the real question.
I expect the City, Mayor, and Council to demand answers and scrutinize this recommendation thoroughly. I will work with my colleagues to uncover the logic behind this decision and to push for transparency.
More than anything, Wootton students and their families deserve answers. The community must continue to meet, to speak out, and to fight against the closure of Wootton. They should not be silent and should stand firm until their voices are heard.
Barry