Taylor's Feb Rec for Crown Boundary Study

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What should have been done that wasn’t done?

Direct, fulsome answers/responses to all of the pointed, nuanced questions asked/issues raised (not just the ones hand picked as easily addressable by gatekeeping moderators),

With all questions/issues and corresponding answers/responses made public for fully informed stakeholder consideration,

With public access to the data/map construction tools used by MCPS/the consultant such that any variation could be equivalently presented for BOE consideration (if they so chose),

With timing to allow for all of that.

If Taylor admitted the current Wootton building would be closed until MCPS finds the money, it would be game over as a school closure because MCPS has to move the boundaries to relocate Wootton’s students to Crown.

The building is unsafe.

Did MCPS declare it so?

Wootton parents said so which is why they are closing the building.

So you believe Wootton parents when it suits you, but you don’t when it doesn’t. Got it.

Yes, we believe them when they say the physical building is not safe. That's why they got so lucky to be given a new building.

So you believe them when they say that they want remediation of the current building and don’t want the new building?

So you believe them when they say that if Wootton’s current building will be used as a holding school, they should be allowed to stay?

So you believe them when they say that Magruder kids deserve to use Crown as a holding school while their far more unsafe school is renovated?

The question of whether a school is safe or not is pretty matter of fact. Everything else you’ve mentioned (except for Magruder being unsafe) is, on the other hand, about what specific communities desire. We can believe you want that, sure, but we don’t have to have the same desire as you.

So if Wootton parents have claimed their school is unsafe for many years, and you believe that claim as a matter of indisputable fact, why was Wootton taken off the CIP three different times (even before MCPS broke ground on Crown)? Such dire conditions couldn’t have waited years for Crown to be built (for someone else). They also can’t wait for Crown to be finished and opened in fall 2027. Remediation must happen right now. Then again, that would remove the primary impetus for Taylor to close Wootton and move its kids to Crown in order to fill a school that shouldn’t have been built.

1) I wasn't the prior poster. While Wootton is in poor condition, the facility rating is not reflective of immediate danger. However it is true to say it’s nearing end of life.

2) It was most certainly NOT in dangerous conditions when it was previously on the CIP.

3) I have no answer to your question about why it was taken off the CIP. That’s something you should ask the county directly. People who have a neutral mindset on this like myself or even those who vehemently support H don’t have anything stake in that.


My two cents from a pure cost benefit analysis stand point? The Crown land was good for a HS and if that land was going to have to be given back, they should build something there.

It would have been given back to the city for a park/recreational community space. Had MCPS decided not to build a school and the city not to build a community space, it would’ve been given back.

Exactly and why would MCPS want to lose that valuable land for a school with that in mind?

So it was the valuable land, not outdated, pre-Covid enrollment projections, that motivated MCPS to build a school it didn’t need? Makes the timing of pulling Wootton off the CIP ever more suspect.

I wonder what the reaction would have been if MCPS had disclosed back when it broke ground on Crown a few years ago that it was considering plugging Wootton kids into Crown?

Wootton was considered part of the Crown boundary study from the very beginning.

But moving the boundaries didn’t include closing Wootton and relocating all of its kids to Crown. If that were even a possibility, this issue would have been raised and addressed long before Option H was proposed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What should have been done that wasn’t done?

Direct, fulsome answers/responses to all of the pointed, nuanced questions asked/issues raised (not just the ones hand picked as easily addressable by gatekeeping moderators),

With all questions/issues and corresponding answers/responses made public for fully informed stakeholder consideration,

With public access to the data/map construction tools used by MCPS/the consultant such that any variation could be equivalently presented for BOE consideration (if they so chose),

With timing to allow for all of that.

If Taylor admitted the current Wootton building would be closed until MCPS finds the money, it would be game over as a school closure because MCPS has to move the boundaries to relocate Wootton’s students to Crown.

The building is unsafe.

Did MCPS declare it so?

Wootton parents said so which is why they are closing the building.

So you believe Wootton parents when it suits you, but you don’t when it doesn’t. Got it.

Yes, we believe them when they say the physical building is not safe. That's why they got so lucky to be given a new building.

So you believe them when they say that they want remediation of the current building and don’t want the new building?

So you believe them when they say that if Wootton’s current building will be used as a holding school, they should be allowed to stay?

So you believe them when they say that Magruder kids deserve to use Crown as a holding school while their far more unsafe school is renovated?

The question of whether a school is safe or not is pretty matter of fact. Everything else you’ve mentioned (except for Magruder being unsafe) is, on the other hand, about what specific communities desire. We can believe you want that, sure, but we don’t have to have the same desire as you.

So if Wootton parents have claimed their school is unsafe for many years, and you believe that claim as a matter of indisputable fact, why was Wootton taken off the CIP three different times (even before MCPS broke ground on Crown)? Such dire conditions couldn’t have waited years for Crown to be built (for someone else). They also can’t wait for Crown to be finished and opened in fall 2027. Remediation must happen right now. Then again, that would remove the primary impetus for Taylor to close Wootton and move its kids to Crown in order to fill a school that shouldn’t have been built.

1) I wasn't the prior poster. While Wootton is in poor condition, the facility rating is not reflective of immediate danger. However it is true to say it’s nearing end of life.

2) It was most certainly NOT in dangerous conditions when it was previously on the CIP.

3) I have no answer to your question about why it was taken off the CIP. That’s something you should ask the county directly. People who have a neutral mindset on this like myself or even those who vehemently support H don’t have anything stake in that.


My two cents from a pure cost benefit analysis stand point? The Crown land was good for a HS and if that land was going to have to be given back, they should build something there.

It would have been given back to the city for a park/recreational community space. Had MCPS decided not to build a school and the city not to build a community space, it would’ve been given back.

Exactly and why would MCPS want to lose that valuable land for a school with that in mind?

So it was the valuable land, not outdated, pre-Covid enrollment projections, that motivated MCPS to build a school it didn’t need? Makes the timing of pulling Wootton off the CIP ever more suspect.

I wonder what the reaction would have been if MCPS had disclosed back when it broke ground on Crown a few years ago that it was considering plugging Wootton kids into Crown?

Wootton was considered part of the Crown boundary study from the very beginning.

But moving the boundaries didn’t include closing Wootton and relocating all of its kids to Crown. If that were even a possibility, this issue would have been raised and addressed long before Option H was proposed.

Because the overall enrollment decrease wasn't enough at the time for that to be an option. Now it is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What should have been done that wasn’t done?

Direct, fulsome answers/responses to all of the pointed, nuanced questions asked/issues raised (not just the ones hand picked as easily addressable by gatekeeping moderators),

With all questions/issues and corresponding answers/responses made public for fully informed stakeholder consideration,

With public access to the data/map construction tools used by MCPS/the consultant such that any variation could be equivalently presented for BOE consideration (if they so chose),

With timing to allow for all of that.

If Taylor admitted the current Wootton building would be closed until MCPS finds the money, it would be game over as a school closure because MCPS has to move the boundaries to relocate Wootton’s students to Crown.

The building is unsafe.

Did MCPS declare it so?

Wootton parents said so which is why they are closing the building.

So you believe Wootton parents when it suits you, but you don’t when it doesn’t. Got it.

Yes, we believe them when they say the physical building is not safe. That's why they got so lucky to be given a new building.

So you believe them when they say that they want remediation of the current building and don’t want the new building?

So you believe them when they say that if Wootton’s current building will be used as a holding school, they should be allowed to stay?

So you believe them when they say that Magruder kids deserve to use Crown as a holding school while their far more unsafe school is renovated?

The question of whether a school is safe or not is pretty matter of fact. Everything else you’ve mentioned (except for Magruder being unsafe) is, on the other hand, about what specific communities desire. We can believe you want that, sure, but we don’t have to have the same desire as you.

So if Wootton parents have claimed their school is unsafe for many years, and you believe that claim as a matter of indisputable fact, why was Wootton taken off the CIP three different times (even before MCPS broke ground on Crown)? Such dire conditions couldn’t have waited years for Crown to be built (for someone else). They also can’t wait for Crown to be finished and opened in fall 2027. Remediation must happen right now. Then again, that would remove the primary impetus for Taylor to close Wootton and move its kids to Crown in order to fill a school that shouldn’t have been built.

1) I wasn't the prior poster. While Wootton is in poor condition, the facility rating is not reflective of immediate danger. However it is true to say it’s nearing end of life.

2) It was most certainly NOT in dangerous conditions when it was previously on the CIP.

3) I have no answer to your question about why it was taken off the CIP. That’s something you should ask the county directly. People who have a neutral mindset on this like myself or even those who vehemently support H don’t have anything stake in that.


My two cents from a pure cost benefit analysis stand point? The Crown land was good for a HS and if that land was going to have to be given back, they should build something there.

Wootton parents have made it sound extremely dangerous and noone should be in that building. So, which is it?

Since when has MCPS listened to Wootton parents about the condition of the building? If they were believed, why was Wootton taken off the CIP three different times over the years? Why did MCPS intentionally allow the building to deteriorate? Sounds like MCPS didn’t want to lose the Crown land, and had a plan to close Wootton and move its kids to Crown when it broke ground a few years ago, but didn’t want to tell anyone.

This requires a conspiracy across 4 superintendents, which seems unlikely.

Other schools have been removed from the CIP during the same period, usually because MCPS realizes that they underestimated the amount of work needed. If they have a plan based on repairs over the summer, or even a one-year relocation, but realize later the school needs and entire rebuild, they will take it off the CIP to submit/plan a more realistic scenario and budget.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What a conspiracy theory. I think there is WAY too much credit being given to the long game that MCPS has supposedly be playing to close Wootton.

Not really. Folks on this thread (and previous ones) claimed that Crown was built 100% in good faith to ease overcrowding at QO, GHS, etc. Now they’re claiming that MCPS was absolutely right to build Crown to avoid losing valuable land, regardless of whether there are enough kids to fill it.

Not much of a logical leap to think MCPS always considered closing Wootton, moving its boundaries, then transplanting its kids if the 2019 enrollment projections proved to be wrong, which of course they were. No one with any credibility in business was using pre-COVID projections in 2024 (5-year old projections are incredibly out of date). Thus, no one would spend $400M building an unnecessary facility unless there was an ulterior motive. This is supported by the fact that Wootton kept getting pulled off the CIP, allowing its facility to degrade to the point that closing Wootton was a fait accompli.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What should have been done that wasn’t done?

Direct, fulsome answers/responses to all of the pointed, nuanced questions asked/issues raised (not just the ones hand picked as easily addressable by gatekeeping moderators),

With all questions/issues and corresponding answers/responses made public for fully informed stakeholder consideration,

With public access to the data/map construction tools used by MCPS/the consultant such that any variation could be equivalently presented for BOE consideration (if they so chose),

With timing to allow for all of that.

If Taylor admitted the current Wootton building would be closed until MCPS finds the money, it would be game over as a school closure because MCPS has to move the boundaries to relocate Wootton’s students to Crown.

The building is unsafe.

Did MCPS declare it so?

Wootton parents said so which is why they are closing the building.

So you believe Wootton parents when it suits you, but you don’t when it doesn’t. Got it.

Yes, we believe them when they say the physical building is not safe. That's why they got so lucky to be given a new building.

So you believe them when they say that they want remediation of the current building and don’t want the new building?

So you believe them when they say that if Wootton’s current building will be used as a holding school, they should be allowed to stay?

So you believe them when they say that Magruder kids deserve to use Crown as a holding school while their far more unsafe school is renovated?

The question of whether a school is safe or not is pretty matter of fact. Everything else you’ve mentioned (except for Magruder being unsafe) is, on the other hand, about what specific communities desire. We can believe you want that, sure, but we don’t have to have the same desire as you.

So if Wootton parents have claimed their school is unsafe for many years, and you believe that claim as a matter of indisputable fact, why was Wootton taken off the CIP three different times (even before MCPS broke ground on Crown)? Such dire conditions couldn’t have waited years for Crown to be built (for someone else). They also can’t wait for Crown to be finished and opened in fall 2027. Remediation must happen right now. Then again, that would remove the primary impetus for Taylor to close Wootton and move its kids to Crown in order to fill a school that shouldn’t have been built.

1) I wasn't the prior poster. While Wootton is in poor condition, the facility rating is not reflective of immediate danger. However it is true to say it’s nearing end of life.

2) It was most certainly NOT in dangerous conditions when it was previously on the CIP.

3) I have no answer to your question about why it was taken off the CIP. That’s something you should ask the county directly. People who have a neutral mindset on this like myself or even those who vehemently support H don’t have anything stake in that.


My two cents from a pure cost benefit analysis stand point? The Crown land was good for a HS and if that land was going to have to be given back, they should build something there.

It would have been given back to the city for a park/recreational community space. Had MCPS decided not to build a school and the city not to build a community space, it would’ve been given back.

Exactly and why would MCPS want to lose that valuable land for a school with that in mind?

So it was the valuable land, not outdated, pre-Covid enrollment projections, that motivated MCPS to build a school it didn’t need? Makes the timing of pulling Wootton off the CIP ever more suspect.

I wonder what the reaction would have been if MCPS had disclosed back when it broke ground on Crown a few years ago that it was considering plugging Wootton kids into Crown?

Wootton was considered part of the Crown boundary study from the very beginning.

But moving the boundaries didn’t include closing Wootton and relocating all of its kids to Crown. If that were even a possibility, this issue would have been raised and addressed long before Option H was proposed.

Because the overall enrollment decrease wasn't enough at the time for that to be an option. Now it is.

Suddenly this was discovered in December last year?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What should have been done that wasn’t done?

Direct, fulsome answers/responses to all of the pointed, nuanced questions asked/issues raised (not just the ones hand picked as easily addressable by gatekeeping moderators),

With all questions/issues and corresponding answers/responses made public for fully informed stakeholder consideration,

With public access to the data/map construction tools used by MCPS/the consultant such that any variation could be equivalently presented for BOE consideration (if they so chose),

With timing to allow for all of that.

If Taylor admitted the current Wootton building would be closed until MCPS finds the money, it would be game over as a school closure because MCPS has to move the boundaries to relocate Wootton’s students to Crown.

The building is unsafe.

Did MCPS declare it so?

Wootton parents said so which is why they are closing the building.

So you believe Wootton parents when it suits you, but you don’t when it doesn’t. Got it.

Yes, we believe them when they say the physical building is not safe. That's why they got so lucky to be given a new building.

So you believe them when they say that they want remediation of the current building and don’t want the new building?

So you believe them when they say that if Wootton’s current building will be used as a holding school, they should be allowed to stay?

So you believe them when they say that Magruder kids deserve to use Crown as a holding school while their far more unsafe school is renovated?

The question of whether a school is safe or not is pretty matter of fact. Everything else you’ve mentioned (except for Magruder being unsafe) is, on the other hand, about what specific communities desire. We can believe you want that, sure, but we don’t have to have the same desire as you.

So if Wootton parents have claimed their school is unsafe for many years, and you believe that claim as a matter of indisputable fact, why was Wootton taken off the CIP three different times (even before MCPS broke ground on Crown)? Such dire conditions couldn’t have waited years for Crown to be built (for someone else). They also can’t wait for Crown to be finished and opened in fall 2027. Remediation must happen right now. Then again, that would remove the primary impetus for Taylor to close Wootton and move its kids to Crown in order to fill a school that shouldn’t have been built.

1) I wasn't the prior poster. While Wootton is in poor condition, the facility rating is not reflective of immediate danger. However it is true to say it’s nearing end of life.

2) It was most certainly NOT in dangerous conditions when it was previously on the CIP.

3) I have no answer to your question about why it was taken off the CIP. That’s something you should ask the county directly. People who have a neutral mindset on this like myself or even those who vehemently support H don’t have anything stake in that.


My two cents from a pure cost benefit analysis stand point? The Crown land was good for a HS and if that land was going to have to be given back, they should build something there.

It would have been given back to the city for a park/recreational community space. Had MCPS decided not to build a school and the city not to build a community space, it would’ve been given back.

Exactly and why would MCPS want to lose that valuable land for a school with that in mind?

So it was the valuable land, not outdated, pre-Covid enrollment projections, that motivated MCPS to build a school it didn’t need? Makes the timing of pulling Wootton off the CIP ever more suspect.

I wonder what the reaction would have been if MCPS had disclosed back when it broke ground on Crown a few years ago that it was considering plugging Wootton kids into Crown?

Wootton was considered part of the Crown boundary study from the very beginning.

But moving the boundaries didn’t include closing Wootton and relocating all of its kids to Crown. If that were even a possibility, this issue would have been raised and addressed long before Option H was proposed.

Because the overall enrollment decrease wasn't enough at the time for that to be an option. Now it is.

Suddenly this was discovered in December last year?

Were Options E, F, G, and H contemplated when Options A, B, C, and D were proposed? Presumably MCPS had them as fallback options. Also, why was Option H not proposed at the same time as Options E, F, and G? Was there a meeting with MCPS that caused Taylor to propose it later? If so, who met with him?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What should have been done that wasn’t done?

Direct, fulsome answers/responses to all of the pointed, nuanced questions asked/issues raised (not just the ones hand picked as easily addressable by gatekeeping moderators),

With all questions/issues and corresponding answers/responses made public for fully informed stakeholder consideration,

With public access to the data/map construction tools used by MCPS/the consultant such that any variation could be equivalently presented for BOE consideration (if they so chose),

With timing to allow for all of that.

If Taylor admitted the current Wootton building would be closed until MCPS finds the money, it would be game over as a school closure because MCPS has to move the boundaries to relocate Wootton’s students to Crown.

The building is unsafe.

Did MCPS declare it so?

Wootton parents said so which is why they are closing the building.

So you believe Wootton parents when it suits you, but you don’t when it doesn’t. Got it.

Yes, we believe them when they say the physical building is not safe. That's why they got so lucky to be given a new building.

So you believe them when they say that they want remediation of the current building and don’t want the new building?

So you believe them when they say that if Wootton’s current building will be used as a holding school, they should be allowed to stay?

So you believe them when they say that Magruder kids deserve to use Crown as a holding school while their far more unsafe school is renovated?

The question of whether a school is safe or not is pretty matter of fact. Everything else you’ve mentioned (except for Magruder being unsafe) is, on the other hand, about what specific communities desire. We can believe you want that, sure, but we don’t have to have the same desire as you.

So if Wootton parents have claimed their school is unsafe for many years, and you believe that claim as a matter of indisputable fact, why was Wootton taken off the CIP three different times (even before MCPS broke ground on Crown)? Such dire conditions couldn’t have waited years for Crown to be built (for someone else). They also can’t wait for Crown to be finished and opened in fall 2027. Remediation must happen right now. Then again, that would remove the primary impetus for Taylor to close Wootton and move its kids to Crown in order to fill a school that shouldn’t have been built.

1) I wasn't the prior poster. While Wootton is in poor condition, the facility rating is not reflective of immediate danger. However it is true to say it’s nearing end of life.

2) It was most certainly NOT in dangerous conditions when it was previously on the CIP.

3) I have no answer to your question about why it was taken off the CIP. That’s something you should ask the county directly. People who have a neutral mindset on this like myself or even those who vehemently support H don’t have anything stake in that.


My two cents from a pure cost benefit analysis stand point? The Crown land was good for a HS and if that land was going to have to be given back, they should build something there.

It would have been given back to the city for a park/recreational community space. Had MCPS decided not to build a school and the city not to build a community space, it would’ve been given back.

Exactly and why would MCPS want to lose that valuable land for a school with that in mind?

So it was the valuable land, not outdated, pre-Covid enrollment projections, that motivated MCPS to build a school it didn’t need? Makes the timing of pulling Wootton off the CIP ever more suspect.

I wonder what the reaction would have been if MCPS had disclosed back when it broke ground on Crown a few years ago that it was considering plugging Wootton kids into Crown?

Wootton was considered part of the Crown boundary study from the very beginning.

But moving the boundaries didn’t include closing Wootton and relocating all of its kids to Crown. If that were even a possibility, this issue would have been raised and addressed long before Option H was proposed.

Because the overall enrollment decrease wasn't enough at the time for that to be an option. Now it is.

Suddenly this was discovered in December last year?

Were Options E, F, G, and H contemplated when Options A, B, C, and D were proposed? Presumably MCPS had them as fallback options. Also, why was Option H not proposed at the same time as Options E, F, and G? Was there a meeting with MCPS that caused Taylor to propose it later? If so, who met with him?

A-D were meant to follow the regional program model therefore moving away from originally released 1-4. However, ABCD did not reflect the dropping enrollment. Once new numbers came out (a week after A-D were released...you'd think they could have waited) the county reconsidered.

H WAS released with E-G.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What a conspiracy theory. I think there is WAY too much credit being given to the long game that MCPS has supposedly be playing to close Wootton.

Not really. Folks on this thread (and previous ones) claimed that Crown was built 100% in good faith to ease overcrowding at QO, GHS, etc. Now they’re claiming that MCPS was absolutely right to build Crown to avoid losing valuable land, regardless of whether there are enough kids to fill it.

Not much of a logical leap to think MCPS always considered closing Wootton, moving its boundaries, then transplanting its kids if the 2019 enrollment projections proved to be wrong, which of course they were. No one with any credibility in business was using pre-COVID projections in 2024 (5-year old projections are incredibly out of date). Thus, no one would spend $400M building an unnecessary facility unless there was an ulterior motive. This is supported by the fact that Wootton kept getting pulled off the CIP, allowing its facility to degrade to the point that closing Wootton was a fait accompli.

It fits a narrative. They built Crown with the intention to relieve overcrowding and that they had to build Crown to avoid losing valuable land. When you combine those 2 things, they fit with Crown being built. I can't make the leap they were planning this all along to close the Wootton building nor do I think Wootton being pulled off the CIP multiple times proves that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What should have been done that wasn’t done?

Direct, fulsome answers/responses to all of the pointed, nuanced questions asked/issues raised (not just the ones hand picked as easily addressable by gatekeeping moderators),

With all questions/issues and corresponding answers/responses made public for fully informed stakeholder consideration,

With public access to the data/map construction tools used by MCPS/the consultant such that any variation could be equivalently presented for BOE consideration (if they so chose),

With timing to allow for all of that.

If Taylor admitted the current Wootton building would be closed until MCPS finds the money, it would be game over as a school closure because MCPS has to move the boundaries to relocate Wootton’s students to Crown.

The building is unsafe.

Did MCPS declare it so?

Wootton parents said so which is why they are closing the building.

So you believe Wootton parents when it suits you, but you don’t when it doesn’t. Got it.

Yes, we believe them when they say the physical building is not safe. That's why they got so lucky to be given a new building.

So you believe them when they say that they want remediation of the current building and don’t want the new building?

So you believe them when they say that if Wootton’s current building will be used as a holding school, they should be allowed to stay?

So you believe them when they say that Magruder kids deserve to use Crown as a holding school while their far more unsafe school is renovated?

The question of whether a school is safe or not is pretty matter of fact. Everything else you’ve mentioned (except for Magruder being unsafe) is, on the other hand, about what specific communities desire. We can believe you want that, sure, but we don’t have to have the same desire as you.

So if Wootton parents have claimed their school is unsafe for many years, and you believe that claim as a matter of indisputable fact, why was Wootton taken off the CIP three different times (even before MCPS broke ground on Crown)? Such dire conditions couldn’t have waited years for Crown to be built (for someone else). They also can’t wait for Crown to be finished and opened in fall 2027. Remediation must happen right now. Then again, that would remove the primary impetus for Taylor to close Wootton and move its kids to Crown in order to fill a school that shouldn’t have been built.

1) I wasn't the prior poster. While Wootton is in poor condition, the facility rating is not reflective of immediate danger. However it is true to say it’s nearing end of life.

2) It was most certainly NOT in dangerous conditions when it was previously on the CIP.

3) I have no answer to your question about why it was taken off the CIP. That’s something you should ask the county directly. People who have a neutral mindset on this like myself or even those who vehemently support H don’t have anything stake in that.


My two cents from a pure cost benefit analysis stand point? The Crown land was good for a HS and if that land was going to have to be given back, they should build something there.

It would have been given back to the city for a park/recreational community space. Had MCPS decided not to build a school and the city not to build a community space, it would’ve been given back.

Exactly and why would MCPS want to lose that valuable land for a school with that in mind?

So it was the valuable land, not outdated, pre-Covid enrollment projections, that motivated MCPS to build a school it didn’t need? Makes the timing of pulling Wootton off the CIP ever more suspect.

I wonder what the reaction would have been if MCPS had disclosed back when it broke ground on Crown a few years ago that it was considering plugging Wootton kids into Crown?

Wootton was considered part of the Crown boundary study from the very beginning.

But moving the boundaries didn’t include closing Wootton and relocating all of its kids to Crown. If that were even a possibility, this issue would have been raised and addressed long before Option H was proposed.

Because the overall enrollment decrease wasn't enough at the time for that to be an option. Now it is.

Suddenly this was discovered in December last year?

Were Options E, F, G, and H contemplated when Options A, B, C, and D were proposed? Presumably MCPS had them as fallback options. Also, why was Option H not proposed at the same time as Options E, F, and G? Was there a meeting with MCPS that caused Taylor to propose it later? If so, who met with him?

A-D were meant to follow the regional program model therefore moving away from originally released 1-4. However, ABCD did not reflect the dropping enrollment. Once new numbers came out (a week after A-D were released...you'd think they could have waited) the county reconsidered.

H WAS released with E-G.

The full details on Option H were released 2 days later. It was only then that MCPS clarified Option H involved permanently relocating Wootton to Crown. It also clarified that the old Wootton building would be a holding school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What a conspiracy theory. I think there is WAY too much credit being given to the long game that MCPS has supposedly be playing to close Wootton.

Not really. Folks on this thread (and previous ones) claimed that Crown was built 100% in good faith to ease overcrowding at QO, GHS, etc. Now they’re claiming that MCPS was absolutely right to build Crown to avoid losing valuable land, regardless of whether there are enough kids to fill it.

Not much of a logical leap to think MCPS always considered closing Wootton, moving its boundaries, then transplanting its kids if the 2019 enrollment projections proved to be wrong, which of course they were. No one with any credibility in business was using pre-COVID projections in 2024 (5-year old projections are incredibly out of date). Thus, no one would spend $400M building an unnecessary facility unless there was an ulterior motive. This is supported by the fact that Wootton kept getting pulled off the CIP, allowing its facility to degrade to the point that closing Wootton was a fait accompli.

It fits a narrative. They built Crown with the intention to relieve overcrowding and that they had to build Crown to avoid losing valuable land. When you combine those 2 things, they fit with Crown being built. I can't make the leap they were planning this all along to close the Wootton building nor do I think Wootton being pulled off the CIP multiple times proves that.

And RM was also pulled off the CIP despite already having architectural drawings created for the RM expansion. It's not a conspiracy. Things change.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What a conspiracy theory. I think there is WAY too much credit being given to the long game that MCPS has supposedly be playing to close Wootton.

Not really. Folks on this thread (and previous ones) claimed that Crown was built 100% in good faith to ease overcrowding at QO, GHS, etc. Now they’re claiming that MCPS was absolutely right to build Crown to avoid losing valuable land, regardless of whether there are enough kids to fill it.

Not much of a logical leap to think MCPS always considered closing Wootton, moving its boundaries, then transplanting its kids if the 2019 enrollment projections proved to be wrong, which of course they were. No one with any credibility in business was using pre-COVID projections in 2024 (5-year old projections are incredibly out of date). Thus, no one would spend $400M building an unnecessary facility unless there was an ulterior motive. This is supported by the fact that Wootton kept getting pulled off the CIP, allowing its facility to degrade to the point that closing Wootton was a fait accompli.

It fits a narrative. They built Crown with the intention to relieve overcrowding and that they had to build Crown to avoid losing valuable land. When you combine those 2 things, they fit with Crown being built. I can't make the leap they were planning this all along to close the Wootton building nor do I think Wootton being pulled off the CIP multiple times proves that.

I believe discussions of using Crown to house an existing high school began in late-2024. Wootton was pulled off the CIP in May 2024, and construction on Crown began in July 2024. These actions may have triggered the discussions about relocating an existing high school, putting Wootton directly in the relocation crosshairs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What a conspiracy theory. I think there is WAY too much credit being given to the long game that MCPS has supposedly be playing to close Wootton.

Not really. Folks on this thread (and previous ones) claimed that Crown was built 100% in good faith to ease overcrowding at QO, GHS, etc. Now they’re claiming that MCPS was absolutely right to build Crown to avoid losing valuable land, regardless of whether there are enough kids to fill it.

Not much of a logical leap to think MCPS always considered closing Wootton, moving its boundaries, then transplanting its kids if the 2019 enrollment projections proved to be wrong, which of course they were. No one with any credibility in business was using pre-COVID projections in 2024 (5-year old projections are incredibly out of date). Thus, no one would spend $400M building an unnecessary facility unless there was an ulterior motive. This is supported by the fact that Wootton kept getting pulled off the CIP, allowing its facility to degrade to the point that closing Wootton was a fait accompli.

It fits a narrative. They built Crown with the intention to relieve overcrowding and that they had to build Crown to avoid losing valuable land. When you combine those 2 things, they fit with Crown being built. I can't make the leap they were planning this all along to close the Wootton building nor do I think Wootton being pulled off the CIP multiple times proves that.

I believe discussions of using Crown to house an existing high school began in late-2024. Wootton was pulled off the CIP in May 2024, and construction on Crown began in July 2024. These actions may have triggered the discussions about relocating an existing high school, putting Wootton directly in the relocation crosshairs.

It would appear MCPS knew Wootton was pulled off the CIP when it broke ground on Crown. MCPS also likely knew that its pre-Covid enrollment projections were inaccurate at that time, but as a few PPs noted, MCPS didn’t want to lose the Crown land. So, it’s not much of a logical leap to assume the plan was to transplant Wootton to Crown.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What a conspiracy theory. I think there is WAY too much credit being given to the long game that MCPS has supposedly be playing to close Wootton.

Not really. Folks on this thread (and previous ones) claimed that Crown was built 100% in good faith to ease overcrowding at QO, GHS, etc. Now they’re claiming that MCPS was absolutely right to build Crown to avoid losing valuable land, regardless of whether there are enough kids to fill it.

Not much of a logical leap to think MCPS always considered closing Wootton, moving its boundaries, then transplanting its kids if the 2019 enrollment projections proved to be wrong, which of course they were. No one with any credibility in business was using pre-COVID projections in 2024 (5-year old projections are incredibly out of date). Thus, no one would spend $400M building an unnecessary facility unless there was an ulterior motive. This is supported by the fact that Wootton kept getting pulled off the CIP, allowing its facility to degrade to the point that closing Wootton was a fait accompli.

It fits a narrative. They built Crown with the intention to relieve overcrowding and that they had to build Crown to avoid losing valuable land. When you combine those 2 things, they fit with Crown being built. I can't make the leap they were planning this all along to close the Wootton building nor do I think Wootton being pulled off the CIP multiple times proves that.

I believe discussions of using Crown to house an existing high school began in late-2024. Wootton was pulled off the CIP in May 2024, and construction on Crown began in July 2024. These actions may have triggered the discussions about relocating an existing high school, putting Wootton directly in the relocation crosshairs.

It would appear MCPS knew Wootton was pulled off the CIP when it broke ground on Crown. MCPS also likely knew that its pre-Covid enrollment projections were inaccurate at that time, but as a few PPs noted, MCPS didn’t want to lose the Crown land. So, it’s not much of a logical leap to assume the plan was to transplant Wootton to Crown.

Crown was planned long before covid.

[Anonymous]

Wootton needs to stop the drama. Wootton families said the building is unsafe. MCPS listened and gave them a new building. Be grateful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What a conspiracy theory. I think there is WAY too much credit being given to the long game that MCPS has supposedly be playing to close Wootton.

Not really. Folks on this thread (and previous ones) claimed that Crown was built 100% in good faith to ease overcrowding at QO, GHS, etc. Now they’re claiming that MCPS was absolutely right to build Crown to avoid losing valuable land, regardless of whether there are enough kids to fill it.

Not much of a logical leap to think MCPS always considered closing Wootton, moving its boundaries, then transplanting its kids if the 2019 enrollment projections proved to be wrong, which of course they were. No one with any credibility in business was using pre-COVID projections in 2024 (5-year old projections are incredibly out of date). Thus, no one would spend $400M building an unnecessary facility unless there was an ulterior motive. This is supported by the fact that Wootton kept getting pulled off the CIP, allowing its facility to degrade to the point that closing Wootton was a fait accompli.

It fits a narrative. They built Crown with the intention to relieve overcrowding and that they had to build Crown to avoid losing valuable land. When you combine those 2 things, they fit with Crown being built. I can't make the leap they were planning this all along to close the Wootton building nor do I think Wootton being pulled off the CIP multiple times proves that.

I believe discussions of using Crown to house an existing high school began in late-2024. Wootton was pulled off the CIP in May 2024, and construction on Crown began in July 2024. These actions may have triggered the discussions about relocating an existing high school, putting Wootton directly in the relocation crosshairs.

It would appear MCPS knew Wootton was pulled off the CIP when it broke ground on Crown. MCPS also likely knew that its pre-Covid enrollment projections were inaccurate at that time, but as a few PPs noted, MCPS didn’t want to lose the Crown land. So, it’s not much of a logical leap to assume the plan was to transplant Wootton to Crown.

Crown was planned long before covid.

Of course it was. But just because you plan something doesn’t mean you build it. Plenty of examples of this when a school is pulled off the CIP.

MCPS likely knew its pre-COVID enrollment projections were inaccurate in July 2024 when it broke ground for Crown. But as others have said, it didn’t want to lose the land. It also knew Wootton wasn’t on the CIP anymore. Not a leap in logic to think that MCPS had Wootton in mind to transplant into Crown.