MCPS suggests postponing Crown High School opening for use as holding school

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They are 100% wrong and completely selfish.

Meaning they want something that you want selfishly for yourself.

You might think they are selfish, but they are not necessarily wrong with the legal part.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They are 100% wrong and completely selfish.

Meaning they want something that you want selfishly for yourself.

You might think they are selfish, but they are not necessarily wrong with the legal part.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Crown people were absolutely disgusting in the meeting tonight. “We paid taxes so you can’t take this school from us”. Basically they came across as screw the kids who are in Wootton and Magruder, we don’t care if they go to school in unsafe unsanitary dangerous to human health schools, we don’t care if it costs the county $400M more to redo Damascus, Wootton and Magruder, because heaven forbid our students who are actually in a safe school (Gaithersburg HS) or a not great but not terribly disgusting school (QO) can’t be inconvenienced. Cry me a river. I lost any sympathy I had for them tonight.

The solution is use Crown as a holding school to do Damascus, and then either:

A) redo boundaries to move all of Wootton to Crown along with the areas around Crown and shut Wootton. Simultaneously renovate Magruder on site.
Or
B) also use Crown as holding school for Magruder and then redo boundaries to move all of Wootton to Crown coupled with local Crown areas and shut down Wootton.

At some point they can rebuild Wootton if the demand exists.

I actually empathize with both Wootton and Crown families. Wootton's building is objectively in really bad shape. There is no denying that.

I also understand Crown families and the City of Gaithersburg's perspective, especially since MCPS was GIFTED the land for the express purpose of building a new high school. There were promises made legally here that MCPS can't just backtrack on because they suck at planning and running the school district.

Yes I understand both sides but I was appalled by the sentiment that is getting “our school” was so much more important than families at the three ancient unsafe schools getting a suitable and safe place to learn. It’s not like the kids who would go to Crown are in unsafe shitholes currently. Gaithersburg is like under 10 years old I believe and QO while fairly old and overcrowded isn’t unsafe to the same extent as those three.

Just this school year, Quince Orchard had to close due to pipe issues: https://bethesdamagazine.com/2025/10/24/quince-orchard-evacuated/

Gaithersburg's high school buildings (Gaithersburg, Watkins Mill and Quince Orchard) are not in great shape. Gaithersburg HS is the best since it's the newest, but QO is pretty bad.

For example, while Wootton has a worse Facility Condition Index score (.62), Watkins Mill is not far behind with a (.48). So the Crown and Gaithersburg community is right: They have been patiently waiting for Crown to alleviate a number of their infrastructure issues. They're not wrong to advocate for themselves.

They are 100% wrong and completely selfish.

So you're ignoring facts and evidence and sticking with your original narrative? That's mature.

Fact- Crown was built to relieve overcrowding at QO and Gaithersburg.
Fact- there is no longer overcrowding.
Fact- other schools need renovation more urgently than QO and Gaithersburg
Fact- Crown wants what benefits only them, not the broader county

Everyone is fighting for what benefits them, including Wootton and Damascus. Why on earth should Crown be any different?

+1 I give more sympathy to Crown fighting for their own benefits from a bystander point of view.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Crown people were absolutely disgusting in the meeting tonight. “We paid taxes so you can’t take this school from us”. Basically they came across as screw the kids who are in Wootton and Magruder, we don’t care if they go to school in unsafe unsanitary dangerous to human health schools, we don’t care if it costs the county $400M more to redo Damascus, Wootton and Magruder, because heaven forbid our students who are actually in a safe school (Gaithersburg HS) or a not great but not terribly disgusting school (QO) can’t be inconvenienced. Cry me a river. I lost any sympathy I had for them tonight.

The solution is use Crown as a holding school to do Damascus, and then either:

A) redo boundaries to move all of Wootton to Crown along with the areas around Crown and shut Wootton. Simultaneously renovate Magruder on site.
Or
B) also use Crown as holding school for Magruder and then redo boundaries to move all of Wootton to Crown coupled with local Crown areas and shut down Wootton.

At some point they can rebuild Wootton if the demand exists.

I actually empathize with both Wootton and Crown families. Wootton's building is objectively in really bad shape. There is no denying that.

I also understand Crown families and the City of Gaithersburg's perspective, especially since MCPS was GIFTED the land for the express purpose of building a new high school. There were promises made legally here that MCPS can't just backtrack on because they suck at planning and running the school district.

Yes I understand both sides but I was appalled by the sentiment that is getting “our school” was so much more important than families at the three ancient unsafe schools getting a suitable and safe place to learn. It’s not like the kids who would go to Crown are in unsafe shitholes currently. Gaithersburg is like under 10 years old I believe and QO while fairly old and overcrowded isn’t unsafe to the same extent as those three.

Just this school year, Quince Orchard had to close due to pipe issues: https://bethesdamagazine.com/2025/10/24/quince-orchard-evacuated/

Gaithersburg's high school buildings (Gaithersburg, Watkins Mill and Quince Orchard) are not in great shape. Gaithersburg HS is the best since it's the newest, but QO is pretty bad.

For example, while Wootton has a worse Facility Condition Index score (.62), Watkins Mill is not far behind with a (.48). So the Crown and Gaithersburg community is right: They have been patiently waiting for Crown to alleviate a number of their infrastructure issues. They're not wrong to advocate for themselves.

What QO feeders are moving to Crown in the boundary study other than the islands right by Crown? Isn't it all Gaithersburg and Watkins Mill?

I'm not sure, because I'm not a QO parent so I haven't studied the Crown HS Boundary Study as much as I've looked at the Woodward one.

But I'm grouping QO, Watkins Mill and Gaithersburg together, because like Crown, they all sit within the City of Gaithersburg, and the City has made it clear they gave the land for the new school to accommodate and to alleviate declining high school infrastructure within the city and that they intend to fight MCPS to stick to their original agreement. The only compromise I've seen is that they're willing for Crown to be a hybrid, with half of it being a holding school and the other half being a local school.

Where do you see it was meant to alleviate declining infrastructure? I've heard alleviate overcrowding maybe. But I've lived in the area for decades and I'm pretty sure back when the land was given, no requirements as to purpose were given other than use this land as a school. I'd love to see a link to the actual agreement.

I suggest you read/watch Nora Walsh's BOE testimony on the legalities at play here: https://go.boarddocs.com/mabe/mcpsmd/Board.nsf/goto?open&id=DJMGHC43C32B

She cites from the original agreement well.

Just because she chooses to interpret it in that way does not make it true. Even if used as a holding school for a period of time, it could still be considered a permanent, public high school. It's not being used for other purposes, it's not being developed into a shopping center. Lots of things were said by Crown last night, many subject to legal interpretation. I look forward to seeing what actually happens in the nexy couple of weeks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They are 100% wrong and completely selfish.

Meaning they want something that you want selfishly for yourself.

You might think they are selfish, but they are not necessarily wrong with the legal part.

I guess that remains to be seen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They are 100% wrong and completely selfish.

Meaning they want something that you want selfishly for yourself.

You might think they are selfish, but they are not necessarily wrong with the legal part.


Not for myself. For the maximum benefit of kids in the county. The greater good.

[Anonymous]

Watkins Mill isn't in the City of Gaithersburg. It's in Montgomery Village, and is actually closer to Germantown/Clarksburg. So the people worried about Crown are not from Watkins Mill.

[Anonymous]

I believe city of gaithersburg residents pays additional special taxes on top of their regular property taxes. Isn't it Crown HS located within the city of Gaithersburg limit ?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Watkins Mill isn't in the City of Gaithersburg. It's in Montgomery Village, and is actually closer to Germantown/Clarksburg. So the people worried about Crown are not from Watkins Mill.

I'm not a Gaithersburg resident, so I thought only locales that used Montgomery Village instead of Gaithersburg were part of Montgomery Village.

Watkins Mill HS's address is Gaithersburg, while Montgomery Village Middle School's is Montgomery Village.

But again, I'm no expert on the municipal boundaries of Gaithersburg vs. Montgomery Village so....I also think there's confusion because there are places called Gaithersburg that aren't technically within the boundaries of the City of Gaithersburg, similar to Rockville.....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Crown people were absolutely disgusting in the meeting tonight. “We paid taxes so you can’t take this school from us”. Basically they came across as screw the kids who are in Wootton and Magruder, we don’t care if they go to school in unsafe unsanitary dangerous to human health schools, we don’t care if it costs the county $400M more to redo Damascus, Wootton and Magruder, because heaven forbid our students who are actually in a safe school (Gaithersburg HS) or a not great but not terribly disgusting school (QO) can’t be inconvenienced. Cry me a river. I lost any sympathy I had for them tonight.

The solution is use Crown as a holding school to do Damascus, and then either:

A) redo boundaries to move all of Wootton to Crown along with the areas around Crown and shut Wootton. Simultaneously renovate Magruder on site.
Or
B) also use Crown as holding school for Magruder and then redo boundaries to move all of Wootton to Crown coupled with local Crown areas and shut down Wootton.

At some point they can rebuild Wootton if the demand exists.

I actually empathize with both Wootton and Crown families. Wootton's building is objectively in really bad shape. There is no denying that.

I also understand Crown families and the City of Gaithersburg's perspective, especially since MCPS was GIFTED the land for the express purpose of building a new high school. There were promises made legally here that MCPS can't just backtrack on because they suck at planning and running the school district.

Yes I understand both sides but I was appalled by the sentiment that is getting “our school” was so much more important than families at the three ancient unsafe schools getting a suitable and safe place to learn. It’s not like the kids who would go to Crown are in unsafe shitholes currently. Gaithersburg is like under 10 years old I believe and QO while fairly old and overcrowded isn’t unsafe to the same extent as those three.

Just this school year, Quince Orchard had to close due to pipe issues: https://bethesdamagazine.com/2025/10/24/quince-orchard-evacuated/

Gaithersburg's high school buildings (Gaithersburg, Watkins Mill and Quince Orchard) are not in great shape. Gaithersburg HS is the best since it's the newest, but QO is pretty bad.

For example, while Wootton has a worse Facility Condition Index score (.62), Watkins Mill is not far behind with a (.48). So the Crown and Gaithersburg community is right: They have been patiently waiting for Crown to alleviate a number of their infrastructure issues. They're not wrong to advocate for themselves.

But they have $2M artificial turf! No need for pipes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Watkins Mill isn't in the City of Gaithersburg. It's in Montgomery Village, and is actually closer to Germantown/Clarksburg. So the people worried about Crown are not from Watkins Mill.

I'm not a Gaithersburg resident, so I thought only locales that used Montgomery Village instead of Gaithersburg were part of Montgomery Village.

Watkins Mill HS's address is Gaithersburg, while Montgomery Village Middle School's is Montgomery Village.

But again, I'm no expert on the municipal boundaries of Gaithersburg vs. Montgomery Village so....I also think there's confusion because there are places called Gaithersburg that aren't technically within the boundaries of the City of Gaithersburg, similar to Rockville.....

The only high school within the city limits of Gaithersburg is Gaithersburg HS. Crown would be the second.

[Anonymous]

I hate to be this guy but I am pretty sure the 1/4 mile stretch of Apple Ridge Rd that Watkins Mill is on is outside of the Village. It does not have the 20886 zip code so it is not part of Montgomery Village. Even though every student in Montgomery Village attends the school, the physical school is in Gaithersburg.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Watkins Mill isn't in the City of Gaithersburg. It's in Montgomery Village, and is actually closer to Germantown/Clarksburg. So the people worried about Crown are not from Watkins Mill.

I'm not a Gaithersburg resident, so I thought only locales that used Montgomery Village instead of Gaithersburg were part of Montgomery Village.

Watkins Mill HS's address is Gaithersburg, while Montgomery Village Middle School's is Montgomery Village.

But again, I'm no expert on the municipal boundaries of Gaithersburg vs. Montgomery Village so....I also think there's confusion because there are places called Gaithersburg that aren't technically within the boundaries of the City of Gaithersburg, similar to Rockville.....

The only high school within the city limits of Gaithersburg is Gaithersburg HS. Crown would be the second.

I just looked at the boundaries: https://maps.gaithersburgmd.gov/addressParcelInfo/

It's crazy that the Quince Orchard shopping center across the street from QO HS is within city limits but the high school isn't. But boundaries are funny things that way.

[Anonymous]

(c) MCPS shall be deemed to be ready to begin construction of the school when the school is fully funded for construction in the first two (2) years of the applicable Montgomery County Capital Improvement Program. Gaithersburg acknowledges that it has obtained confirmation from MCPS that MCPS has agreed to accept the parcel as proposed and shown on the Approved Sketch Plan and described in this Agreement as a site for the construction of a public high school. Gaithersburg agrees that when the construction of the public high school is reasonably determined by MCPS to be needed to serve the students of Montgomery County, Gaithersburg will convey the School Site without cost or payment to MCPS for said construction. Any costs of said conveyance by Crown Village to Gaithersburg or by Gaithersburg to MCPS shall be paid by Gaithersburg.

[Anonymous]

I see no where that says the school must be a school for Gaithersburg students. Per the Crown Farm annexation agreement:
“(c) MCPS shall be deemed to be ready to begin construction of the school when the school is fully funded for construction in the first two (2) years of the applicable Montgomery County Capital Improvement Program. Gaithersburg acknowledges that it has obtained confirmation from MCPS that MCPS has agreed to accept the parcel as proposed and shown on the Approved Sketch Plan and described in this Agreement as a site for the construction of a public high school. Gaithersburg agrees that when the construction of the public high school is reasonably determined by MCPS to be needed to serve the students of Montgomery County, Gaithersburg will convey the School Site without cost or payment to MCPS for said construction. Any costs of said conveyance by Crown Village to Gaithersburg or by Gaithersburg to MCPS shall be paid by Gaithersburg.”