Option H is permanent and the old Wootton HS campus will be closed for good?
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Anonymous
Yeah our children’s educational future is definitely “not that deep”. |
Anonymous
What exactly will change about your child's educational future that would be negative? All I see are positives... new AV equipment, new chem labs, new computers for AOIT, new athletic spaces....new everything!!! What is the downside from an education perspective? All the same classes, teachers etc just in a new location with better materials....genuine question |
Anonymous
I don't think you understand how elections work. It is highly unlikely that these BOE people were a majority of people's first preference. Usually in a primary you end up picking from half a dozen candidates. Maybe one or two of them have funds from local special interests (developers, businesses, private schools, rich households from across the county, are the primary suspects). They end up on the ticket in the major election as two options no one really likes. Here’s a clear explanation of how Montgomery County Board of Education (school board) elections work — especially the part you were remembering about primaries, general elections, and the competitive nature of these races: 🗳️ 1. Board of Education Seats & Terms Montgomery County’s Board of Education has seven full-voting members elected to four-year terms. There are five district seats and two at-large seats. Candidates must live in the district they’re running in, but all voters countywide vote on every seat up for election. In addition, a Student Member of the Board (SMOB) is elected annually by students through a separate internal student process. 🗳️ 2. Non-Partisan Elections School board races in Maryland are non-partisan, meaning candidates do not run with a party label on the ballot. Other local and state races (like County Council, governor, etc.) are partisan, but the school board itself is officially non-partisan in nomination and election. 🔁 3. Primary Election — If Needed If three or more candidates file for a seat, a primary election is held to narrow the field. All voters eligible to vote in the primary can vote on the non-partisan school board race (even if you’re unaffiliated with a party). This is different from closed partisan primaries, where only party members vote on that party’s candidates. In that primary, the top two vote-getters advance to the general election. Example from 2024: incumbents and challengers competed in primary, and the top two from each contest went on to Nov. general election. 🗳️ 4. General Election (November) The general election is held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November in even-numbered years. In the general election, the two primary finalists (or the only two candidates, if no primary was needed) compete, and the one with the most votes wins the seat. If only one or two candidates file, a primary may be skipped. In that case, all candidates go directly to the general. 💼 5. Filing to Run Candidates file a Certificate of Candidacy with the Montgomery County Board of Elections during a filing period months before the primary. They must be registered voters in the district they want to represent. Candidates also usually must file financial disclosure forms as required by state and county law. 💰 6. Campaign Dynamics Because the elections are technically non-partisan, there are no party primaries in the traditional sense — but interest groups, unions, developers, and political actors do still fund or endorse campaigns. Endorsements and campaign funding from groups like the Montgomery County Education Association (teachers’ union) and other community or business organizations can be powerful and influential in these races, affecting who makes it through the primary and then wins in November. Local press and advocacy groups often highlight these endorsements and funding patterns in their guides and coverage. 📊 7. Who Votes Every registered voter in Montgomery County sees school board races on their ballot in both the primary and general election if those races are contested. Unaffiliated voters may vote in the school board primary, even though they might not be able to vote in partisan primaries. 🧠 Summary ✔️ School board elections are non-partisan. ✔️ Primary elections are used when too many candidates file; top two advance. ✔️ General election decides the winner in November. ✔️ All county voters vote on these races, regardless of where they live in the county. ✔️ Local campaigning and funding (from unions, civic groups, developers, etc.) still plays a big role even in non-partisan elections. |
Anonymous
Yes, it will have a stadium with track, and baseball and softball fields. |
Anonymous
| Cold Spring: The area is very nice and it will not be impacted as much as the others, but a move to Crown will mean a significant hit for Cold Spring area real estate. When sold, those houses compete with Churchill real estate. So if a future family is shopping for houses, are they going to pay the same for Fox Hills West and Crown as they will for Fox Hills and Churchill? |
Anonymous
The BOE's job is not to care about your house value, though I also would be concerned about my own house value, but that's not the BOE's concern, nor should it be. |
Anonymous
I live here and I don't care...decisions for a majority cannot be made for the minority |
Anonymous
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What I find so disheartening in this thread and the anti-H ranting is how pervasive conspiracy-theory mindsets are, and how they completely hijack discussions on the merits of an issue. Instead of focusing on the actual relevant questions, such as what does the best data show regarding enrollment projections and how can we use limited county funds to perform all the necessary renovations at the schools that need them in the fastest way possible, we have people who actually believe that BOE, Taylor & MCPS have this grand scheme to punish Wootton. Such ill motives are ascribed to elected officials and public servants with absolutely zero basis! Why would any BOE member or Taylor want to hurt a flagship school?! It’s patently absurd. Then they claim that people commenting in this very thread are out to get Wootton, as if everyone is motivated to harm one of the best schools in MD for zero reason. Make it make sense.
These conspiracy theorists need to listen to the public hearings from the Fall to see how Crown as a holding school came up back in October (not November). Taylor even talked to the press about the possibility as soon as the new declining enrollment data came out one week after options A-D were released. It was that data, in combination with the testimonies about the urgent need for renovations at Damascus and other schools, including Wootton, that forced BOE to be creative to figure out how to adjust. The whole point of Crown as a holding school is because the testimony was that performing renovations with students on site would take way too long and too much money. I remember hearing some information specifically about the impossibility of Damascus being renovated while students are still there because of the land and building. Anyway, saving hundreds of millions of dollars and being able to have Wootton kids in a new building as a holding school or new school was the reason for this. It’s not some wE wAnT tO rUiN WoOToN wAlKeR fAmIlIes’ pRopErTy vAlUEs for funsies conspiracy. Nor is it some vast liberal conspiracy to punish wealthy Wootton families. It’s smart planning and efficient use of taxpayer dollars to try to renovate as quickly and cheaply as possible by using a holding school. |
Anonymous
It’s the people.., their kids will have to be around Gaithersburg people. |
Anonymous
Amen!!! Word for word could have been my post. Well done! Also - please note that just because we are not screaming at the BOE meetings or clammering for TV time does not mean that we are not emailing and filling out surveys. Fingers crossed that the BOE does what makes th emost fiscal sense and we can all celbrate with our kids at Crown! |
Anonymous
10000000% and that is what I find so disgusting about the argument. So sad and unfortunate for the rest of the Wootton community that doe snot feel this way. We welcome the expansion of our community as long as it is near capacity and not over. The more the merrier. |
Anonymous
Ummm, MCPS and BOE can't stand the concentration of high performance, which happens to be in a school that has decent Asian representation (and Jewish too). They explicitly came up with this regional model BS because they hate that concentration, blaming it on inequity instead of actually trying to teach students who are not proficient and who are predominantly black and brown. And the shocking hate to the Wootton community specifically has been plenty obvious on this thread. |
Anonymous
I am not sure what hate you are referring to but as a member of the Wootton community I do not believe that to be the case. I find it unfair when we are lumped in with the other W schools as being spoiled etc when we have been in that old gross building for so long. I agree that we are not at all entitled and people outside of our community lump us in with the Whitman and Churchill's of the world without having a clue of the demographics, socioeconomics etc. I don't stand for any of that. However, I still LOVE OPTION H!!! |
Anonymous
Repeat it as many times as you want. It is still an insane conspiracy theory. |
Anonymous
It really isn't. There was no plausible path for rebuilding Wootton without using the building in Crown. And if we need to use that building, current enrollment projections don't support rushing another building. Entirely sensible and legal. Changing facilities and changing boundaries are not the same things as closing a school under Maryland law. |