Taylor's Feb Rec for Crown Boundary Study

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:At a minimum, Crown should be used as a holding school for Magruder. It would allow the Magruder repairs to be completed much quicker than if they have to wait to fix Wootton before they can use that as their holding school.

And if Taylor wants to use Wootton as a holding school, then there is no reason to move Wootton to Crown unless it is declared unfit for human habitation - which means that MCPS is officially closing Wootton. In that case, MCPS must comply with COMAR regulations, which it hasn’t. Taylor is trying to get around this failure by moving the boundary at the same time he moves Wootton’s kids over to Crown (but not all Wootton kids).

This isn't true. No evidence that a rebuild is a closure. And in fact buildings have been rebuilt on several occasions without it triggering closure requirements.

If Wootton is going to be used as a holding school, there is no reason to close it, move the Wootton boundary to encompass Crown, and transplant the Wootton kids into Crown.

If Taylor officially condemns Wootton’s building, slates it for demolition, and agrees NEVER to use the current building as a holding school, then Option H would make a bit more sense. If he won’t, then this is all a charade to cover up his incompetence or intentional plan to avoid using Crown as a holding school.

Option H does make sense given timing. The Crown building is slated to open in 2027, the need for a holding school will be sometime in the future after 2027, and current enrollment doesn't require a 27th high school.

The current Wootton site is probably going to sit empty for a couple years after Wootton moves to Crown until the holding school is needed.

The point is that if Wootton will be used as the holding school, then it can be operated where it is right now. Crown can be used as a holding school because that gives MCPS the flexibility it needs - just like Woodward is today. Instead, Option H closes a high performing school.

Option H moves Wootton; 5 out of 6 of the elementary schools are staying in the boundary, all the administrators and teachers are moving to the new location. If it was a closure, the admins and teachers would be dispersed among other schools in MCPS.

The current Wootton site as a holding school is the most flexible, since MCPS doesn't have plans to use a holding school by 2027. The needed renovations for Wootton can be delayed until money is budgeted and a holding school is actually needed.

The Crown site will be ready for students by 2027, so either it sits empty waiting for MCPS to need a holding school or it's used for its intended purpose as a high school. Moving Wootton to Crown just makes the most sense given the situation.

FACTS. But Wootton families don't deal in those.

Nope. It closes it. If it were a move, the. Taylor wouldn’t have to move the boundaries to make it happen. He also wouldn’t need to carve up Wootton’s student body. But he’s doing both.

Just admit it. Taylor is trying to fille a school that shouldn’t have been built, but he wants to use Wootton as a holding school - both of which help MCPS cover up its poor planning, with Wootton kids treated as playing cards.

Wootton families are saying that their facility is unsafe. If its unsafe the most logical things given what is available is to move them to crown. Every school is getting redistricted, not just Wootton. All our kids are being move around. There also needs to be a holding school as there are many schools that need serious repairs or replacements. Wootton families won by getting a new school.

Just use Crown as a holding school like Woodward, and spend a little money to repair Wootton. This makes sense if Wootton will be repaired in order to use it as a holding school that you claim is desperately needed right now. That makes even more sense because it’s less disruptive than Option H.

Because fixing Wootton would be very expensive and it’s not budgeted for a while out and parents are saying Wootton is unsafe.

Define very expensive. Also, how is it that MCPS doesn’t have money to fix Wootton before transplanting its kids to Crown, but does have the money to fix it after they’re transplanted. What you’re really saying is that MCPS doesn’t want to find the money now, but will absolutely find the money when it needs Wootton as a holding school.

By the way, why should we believe anything that MCPS says anymore? It built Crown and spent $300-$400 million using pre-COVID enrollment projections, conveniently right before it was going to lose the free land that Crown sits on due to a 20-year reversion clause when it was given to MCPS in 2006.

MCPS used bad data to build Crown and is using bad data to close Wootton.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=fDMQDtzI7hY

My understanding is that only minor, less costly changes are needed to make it suitable as a holding school that students and teachers are in and out of in a couple years, but that Wootton families won't tolerate only the small repairs and want much bigger more expensive renovations or replacement if they stay there. Is that not correct?

That's correct. Just like Northwood@Woodward had to live without an auditorium for two years, but MCPS would not make a school community live with that reality forever. Holding schools can have slightly lower standards, because the kids will move on after two years.

Everyone is getting a change. Wootton is getting a bigger change, but sometimes that's how it goes.

It’s not really a bigger change as many kids will be having school changes.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:At a minimum, Crown should be used as a holding school for Magruder. It would allow the Magruder repairs to be completed much quicker than if they have to wait to fix Wootton before they can use that as their holding school.

And if Taylor wants to use Wootton as a holding school, then there is no reason to move Wootton to Crown unless it is declared unfit for human habitation - which means that MCPS is officially closing Wootton. In that case, MCPS must comply with COMAR regulations, which it hasn’t. Taylor is trying to get around this failure by moving the boundary at the same time he moves Wootton’s kids over to Crown (but not all Wootton kids).

This isn't true. No evidence that a rebuild is a closure. And in fact buildings have been rebuilt on several occasions without it triggering closure requirements.

If Wootton is going to be used as a holding school, there is no reason to close it, move the Wootton boundary to encompass Crown, and transplant the Wootton kids into Crown.

If Taylor officially condemns Wootton’s building, slates it for demolition, and agrees NEVER to use the current building as a holding school, then Option H would make a bit more sense. If he won’t, then this is all a charade to cover up his incompetence or intentional plan to avoid using Crown as a holding school.

Option H does make sense given timing. The Crown building is slated to open in 2027, the need for a holding school will be sometime in the future after 2027, and current enrollment doesn't require a 27th high school.

The current Wootton site is probably going to sit empty for a couple years after Wootton moves to Crown until the holding school is needed.

The point is that if Wootton will be used as the holding school, then it can be operated where it is right now. Crown can be used as a holding school because that gives MCPS the flexibility it needs - just like Woodward is today. Instead, Option H closes a high performing school.

Option H moves Wootton; 5 out of 6 of the elementary schools are staying in the boundary, all the administrators and teachers are moving to the new location. If it was a closure, the admins and teachers would be dispersed among other schools in MCPS.

The current Wootton site as a holding school is the most flexible, since MCPS doesn't have plans to use a holding school by 2027. The needed renovations for Wootton can be delayed until money is budgeted and a holding school is actually needed.

The Crown site will be ready for students by 2027, so either it sits empty waiting for MCPS to need a holding school or it's used for its intended purpose as a high school. Moving Wootton to Crown just makes the most sense given the situation.

FACTS. But Wootton families don't deal in those.

Nope. It closes it. If it were a move, the. Taylor wouldn’t have to move the boundaries to make it happen. He also wouldn’t need to carve up Wootton’s student body. But he’s doing both.

Just admit it. Taylor is trying to fille a school that shouldn’t have been built, but he wants to use Wootton as a holding school - both of which help MCPS cover up its poor planning, with Wootton kids treated as playing cards.

Wootton families are saying that their facility is unsafe. If its unsafe the most logical things given what is available is to move them to crown. Every school is getting redistricted, not just Wootton. All our kids are being move around. There also needs to be a holding school as there are many schools that need serious repairs or replacements. Wootton families won by getting a new school.

Just use Crown as a holding school like Woodward, and spend a little money to repair Wootton. This makes sense if Wootton will be repaired in order to use it as a holding school that you claim is desperately needed right now. That makes even more sense because it’s less disruptive than Option H.

It's not a "just". We don't need an additional HS given the declining enrollment.

Crown will be a brand new HS; Wootton still needs a ton of repairs. Wootton can have the bare minimum repairs done to make it a temporary holding school. It makes zero sense to have a brand new HS be a temporary holding school. Once the other schools are repaired, what would Crown, a brand new school, be used for ?

In 5 to 10 years, the enrollment is due to decline significantly. Neighboring HS won't be as over capacity as it is now. So, if Crown HS opens up as a regular HS, and boundaries are redrawn for Crown HS, then the other HS will be < 80% capacity. That's a complete waste of money.

Woodward was like a Wootton. It was already a school but needed a lot of repairs. They repaired it enough to be a holding school. So, as you pointed out, Wootton, like Woodward, should be a holding school, not Crown.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At a minimum, Crown should be used as a holding school for Magruder. It would allow the Magruder repairs to be completed much quicker than if they have to wait to fix Wootton before they can use that as their holding school.

And if Taylor wants to use Wootton as a holding school, then there is no reason to move Wootton to Crown unless it is declared unfit for human habitation - which means that MCPS is officially closing Wootton. In that case, MCPS must comply with COMAR regulations, which it hasn’t. Taylor is trying to get around this failure by moving the boundary at the same time he moves Wootton’s kids over to Crown (but not all Wootton kids).

This isn't true. No evidence that a rebuild is a closure. And in fact buildings have been rebuilt on several occasions without it triggering closure requirements.

If Wootton is going to be used as a holding school, there is no reason to close it, move the Wootton boundary to encompass Crown, and transplant the Wootton kids into Crown.

If Taylor officially condemns Wootton’s building, slates it for demolition, and agrees NEVER to use the current building as a holding school, then Option H would make a bit more sense. If he won’t, then this is all a charade to cover up his incompetence or intentional plan to avoid using Crown as a holding school.

Option H does make sense given timing. The Crown building is slated to open in 2027, the need for a holding school will be sometime in the future after 2027, and current enrollment doesn't require a 27th high school.

The current Wootton site is probably going to sit empty for a couple years after Wootton moves to Crown until the holding school is needed.

The point is that if Wootton will be used as the holding school, then it can be operated where it is right now. Crown can be used as a holding school because that gives MCPS the flexibility it needs - just like Woodward is today. Instead, Option H closes a high performing school.

Option H moves Wootton; 5 out of 6 of the elementary schools are staying in the boundary, all the administrators and teachers are moving to the new location. If it was a closure, the admins and teachers would be dispersed among other schools in MCPS.

The current Wootton site as a holding school is the most flexible, since MCPS doesn't have plans to use a holding school by 2027. The needed renovations for Wootton can be delayed until money is budgeted and a holding school is actually needed.

The Crown site will be ready for students by 2027, so either it sits empty waiting for MCPS to need a holding school or it's used for its intended purpose as a high school. Moving Wootton to Crown just makes the most sense given the situation.

FACTS. But Wootton families don't deal in those.

Nope. It closes it. If it were a move, the. Taylor wouldn’t have to move the boundaries to make it happen. He also wouldn’t need to carve up Wootton’s student body. But he’s doing both.

Just admit it. Taylor is trying to fille a school that shouldn’t have been built, but he wants to use Wootton as a holding school - both of which help MCPS cover up its poor planning, with Wootton kids treated as playing cards.

Wootton families are saying that their facility is unsafe. If its unsafe the most logical things given what is available is to move them to crown. Every school is getting redistricted, not just Wootton. All our kids are being move around. There also needs to be a holding school as there are many schools that need serious repairs or replacements. Wootton families won by getting a new school.

Just use Crown as a holding school like Woodward, and spend a little money to repair Wootton. This makes sense if Wootton will be repaired in order to use it as a holding school that you claim is desperately needed right now. That makes even more sense because it’s less disruptive than Option H.

It's not a "just". We don't need an additional HS given the declining enrollment.

Crown will be a brand new HS; Wootton still needs a ton of repairs. Wootton can have the bare minimum repairs done to make it a temporary holding school. It makes zero sense to have a brand new HS be a temporary holding school. Once the other schools are repaired, what would Crown, a brand new school, be used for ?

In 5 to 10 years, the enrollment is due to decline significantly. Neighboring HS won't be as over capacity as it is now. So, if Crown HS opens up as a regular HS, and boundaries are redrawn for Crown HS, then the other HS will be < 80% capacity. That's a complete waste of money.

Woodward was like a Wootton. It was already a school but needed a lot of repairs. They repaired it enough to be a holding school. So, as you pointed out, Wootton, like Woodward, should be a holding school, not Crown.

You do know that WJ will be at 77% capacity and very low FARMS when the dust settles, right?

[Anonymous]

Why can’t Crown be used as a holding school for a few years while MCPS collects the appropriate community input? I heard it was only 2 months (over the holidays and the snowstorm) between when Taylor proposed Option H and he ultimately recommended it to the BOE.

What’s the rush? Seems like MCPS is moving at light speed, when it usually takes a year or so to fully hear from the community for these kinds of decisions. It’s odd, especially when those communities that have weighed in are almost uniformly opposed?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why can’t Crown be used as a holding school for a few years while MCPS collects the appropriate community input? I heard it was only 2 months (over the holidays and the snowstorm) between when Taylor proposed Option H and he ultimately recommended it to the BOE.

What’s the rush? Seems like MCPS is moving at light speed, when it usually takes a year or so to fully hear from the community for these kinds of decisions. It’s odd, especially when those communities that have weighed in are almost uniformly opposed?

MCPS does not even hear anything from community inputs for regional boubdary study, and decide to break it into 6 regions. That is more worse and rushy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At a minimum, Crown should be used as a holding school for Magruder. It would allow the Magruder repairs to be completed much quicker than if they have to wait to fix Wootton before they can use that as their holding school.

And if Taylor wants to use Wootton as a holding school, then there is no reason to move Wootton to Crown unless it is declared unfit for human habitation - which means that MCPS is officially closing Wootton. In that case, MCPS must comply with COMAR regulations, which it hasn’t. Taylor is trying to get around this failure by moving the boundary at the same time he moves Wootton’s kids over to Crown (but not all Wootton kids).

This isn't true. No evidence that a rebuild is a closure. And in fact buildings have been rebuilt on several occasions without it triggering closure requirements.

If Wootton is going to be used as a holding school, there is no reason to close it, move the Wootton boundary to encompass Crown, and transplant the Wootton kids into Crown.

If Taylor officially condemns Wootton’s building, slates it for demolition, and agrees NEVER to use the current building as a holding school, then Option H would make a bit more sense. If he won’t, then this is all a charade to cover up his incompetence or intentional plan to avoid using Crown as a holding school.

Option H does make sense given timing. The Crown building is slated to open in 2027, the need for a holding school will be sometime in the future after 2027, and current enrollment doesn't require a 27th high school.

The current Wootton site is probably going to sit empty for a couple years after Wootton moves to Crown until the holding school is needed.

The point is that if Wootton will be used as the holding school, then it can be operated where it is right now. Crown can be used as a holding school because that gives MCPS the flexibility it needs - just like Woodward is today. Instead, Option H closes a high performing school.

Option H moves Wootton; 5 out of 6 of the elementary schools are staying in the boundary, all the administrators and teachers are moving to the new location. If it was a closure, the admins and teachers would be dispersed among other schools in MCPS.

The current Wootton site as a holding school is the most flexible, since MCPS doesn't have plans to use a holding school by 2027. The needed renovations for Wootton can be delayed until money is budgeted and a holding school is actually needed.

The Crown site will be ready for students by 2027, so either it sits empty waiting for MCPS to need a holding school or it's used for its intended purpose as a high school. Moving Wootton to Crown just makes the most sense given the situation.

FACTS. But Wootton families don't deal in those.

Nope. It closes it. If it were a move, the. Taylor wouldn’t have to move the boundaries to make it happen. He also wouldn’t need to carve up Wootton’s student body. But he’s doing both.

Just admit it. Taylor is trying to fille a school that shouldn’t have been built, but he wants to use Wootton as a holding school - both of which help MCPS cover up its poor planning, with Wootton kids treated as playing cards.

He *doesn't* need to move the boundaries to make it happen. But using the proposed boundaries makes much more sense and is much fairer than simply moving Wootton over as-is. And we are in the midst of a boundary study so it's the appropriate time to make sensible boundary changes to Wootton, and there's no good reason not to (except that some Wootton parents will gripe about it.)

Is the Crown building under construction within Wootton’s boundaries? I thought it was outside Wootton’s boundaries, which is why Taylor had to propose boundary changes in order to avoid Wootton being deemed a closure under Maryland law? If it’s within Wootton’s boundaries, what right to Gaithersburg families have to claim it was built solely for them?

The apartments across the street from Crown at Rio are districted to Wootton, the Crown neighborhood is districted to Gaithersburg.

The DuFief, Stone Mill, and Travilah ES are currently districted to Wootton and they're closer to Crown than the current Wootton building.

A boundary study was always going to need to be done when Crown opens because its surrounding area is currently districted to other schools.

The City of Gaithersburg's concerns were addressed when the Fields Road community got moved in along with the Crown neighborhood to Wootton @ Crown in the modified H recommendation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At a minimum, Crown should be used as a holding school for Magruder. It would allow the Magruder repairs to be completed much quicker than if they have to wait to fix Wootton before they can use that as their holding school.

And if Taylor wants to use Wootton as a holding school, then there is no reason to move Wootton to Crown unless it is declared unfit for human habitation - which means that MCPS is officially closing Wootton. In that case, MCPS must comply with COMAR regulations, which it hasn’t. Taylor is trying to get around this failure by moving the boundary at the same time he moves Wootton’s kids over to Crown (but not all Wootton kids).

This isn't true. No evidence that a rebuild is a closure. And in fact buildings have been rebuilt on several occasions without it triggering closure requirements.

If Wootton is going to be used as a holding school, there is no reason to close it, move the Wootton boundary to encompass Crown, and transplant the Wootton kids into Crown.

If Taylor officially condemns Wootton’s building, slates it for demolition, and agrees NEVER to use the current building as a holding school, then Option H would make a bit more sense. If he won’t, then this is all a charade to cover up his incompetence or intentional plan to avoid using Crown as a holding school.

Option H does make sense given timing. The Crown building is slated to open in 2027, the need for a holding school will be sometime in the future after 2027, and current enrollment doesn't require a 27th high school.

The current Wootton site is probably going to sit empty for a couple years after Wootton moves to Crown until the holding school is needed.

The point is that if Wootton will be used as the holding school, then it can be operated where it is right now. Crown can be used as a holding school because that gives MCPS the flexibility it needs - just like Woodward is today. Instead, Option H closes a high performing school.

Option H moves Wootton; 5 out of 6 of the elementary schools are staying in the boundary, all the administrators and teachers are moving to the new location. If it was a closure, the admins and teachers would be dispersed among other schools in MCPS.

The current Wootton site as a holding school is the most flexible, since MCPS doesn't have plans to use a holding school by 2027. The needed renovations for Wootton can be delayed until money is budgeted and a holding school is actually needed.

The Crown site will be ready for students by 2027, so either it sits empty waiting for MCPS to need a holding school or it's used for its intended purpose as a high school. Moving Wootton to Crown just makes the most sense given the situation.

FACTS. But Wootton families don't deal in those.

Nope. It closes it. If it were a move, the. Taylor wouldn’t have to move the boundaries to make it happen. He also wouldn’t need to carve up Wootton’s student body. But he’s doing both.

Just admit it. Taylor is trying to fille a school that shouldn’t have been built, but he wants to use Wootton as a holding school - both of which help MCPS cover up its poor planning, with Wootton kids treated as playing cards.

I'm really sorry you feel that way. But you're right. Every time boundaries are changed a school *essentially* closes; at least, that's how it feels.

Let's have a moment of silence for Northwest now that Darnestown is moving to Poolesville. How about a moment of silence now that QO is losing Brown Station.

And a moment of silence for Wootton being, as you say, "carved up," because Cold Spring won't stay in the school. Oh wait...Cold Spring asked to be moved to Churchill. So I guess we can cry for Wootton but not Cold Spring. My condolences. I'm so sorry that Taylor took community input into account and acquiesced to a feeder school of yours' demands.

Have not posted in about 50 pages worth of dialogue but just wanted to chime in here and say PREACH!!!! love this!!! well said!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why can’t Crown be used as a holding school for a few years while MCPS collects the appropriate community input? I heard it was only 2 months (over the holidays and the snowstorm) between when Taylor proposed Option H and he ultimately recommended it to the BOE.

What’s the rush? Seems like MCPS is moving at light speed, when it usually takes a year or so to fully hear from the community for these kinds of decisions. It’s odd, especially when those communities that have weighed in are almost uniformly opposed?

The Crown building is opening by the 2027-2028 school year. If they're going to move Wootton, the decision has to be made soon because they need to start preparing and making plans to move the school.

There's nothing currently in the CIP that's scheduled to use a holding school in 2027, so Crown would either sit empty or way underutilized unless it opens as a high school (whether as the 27th high school or as as the new location for Wootton).

That's the rush, a decision has to be made soon.

There's still a BoE public meeting this Monday and at least 1 BoE work session.

[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:At a minimum, Crown should be used as a holding school for Magruder. It would allow the Magruder repairs to be completed much quicker than if they have to wait to fix Wootton before they can use that as their holding school.

And if Taylor wants to use Wootton as a holding school, then there is no reason to move Wootton to Crown unless it is declared unfit for human habitation - which means that MCPS is officially closing Wootton. In that case, MCPS must comply with COMAR regulations, which it hasn’t. Taylor is trying to get around this failure by moving the boundary at the same time he moves Wootton’s kids over to Crown (but not all Wootton kids).

This isn't true. No evidence that a rebuild is a closure. And in fact buildings have been rebuilt on several occasions without it triggering closure requirements.

If Wootton is going to be used as a holding school, there is no reason to close it, move the Wootton boundary to encompass Crown, and transplant the Wootton kids into Crown.

If Taylor officially condemns Wootton’s building, slates it for demolition, and agrees NEVER to use the current building as a holding school, then Option H would make a bit more sense. If he won’t, then this is all a charade to cover up his incompetence or intentional plan to avoid using Crown as a holding school.

Option H does make sense given timing. The Crown building is slated to open in 2027, the need for a holding school will be sometime in the future after 2027, and current enrollment doesn't require a 27th high school.

The current Wootton site is probably going to sit empty for a couple years after Wootton moves to Crown until the holding school is needed.

The point is that if Wootton will be used as the holding school, then it can be operated where it is right now. Crown can be used as a holding school because that gives MCPS the flexibility it needs - just like Woodward is today. Instead, Option H closes a high performing school.

Option H moves Wootton; 5 out of 6 of the elementary schools are staying in the boundary, all the administrators and teachers are moving to the new location. If it was a closure, the admins and teachers would be dispersed among other schools in MCPS.

The current Wootton site as a holding school is the most flexible, since MCPS doesn't have plans to use a holding school by 2027. The needed renovations for Wootton can be delayed until money is budgeted and a holding school is actually needed.

The Crown site will be ready for students by 2027, so either it sits empty waiting for MCPS to need a holding school or it's used for its intended purpose as a high school. Moving Wootton to Crown just makes the most sense given the situation.

FACTS. But Wootton families don't deal in those.

Nope. It closes it. If it were a move, the. Taylor wouldn’t have to move the boundaries to make it happen. He also wouldn’t need to carve up Wootton’s student body. But he’s doing both.

Just admit it. Taylor is trying to fille a school that shouldn’t have been built, but he wants to use Wootton as a holding school - both of which help MCPS cover up its poor planning, with Wootton kids treated as playing cards.

He *doesn't* need to move the boundaries to make it happen. But using the proposed boundaries makes much more sense and is much fairer than simply moving Wootton over as-is. And we are in the midst of a boundary study so it's the appropriate time to make sensible boundary changes to Wootton, and there's no good reason not to (except that some Wootton parents will gripe about it.)

Is the Crown building under construction within Wootton’s boundaries? I thought it was outside Wootton’s boundaries, which is why Taylor had to propose boundary changes in order to avoid Wootton being deemed a closure under Maryland law? If it’s within Wootton’s boundaries, what right to Gaithersburg families have to claim it was built solely for them?

The apartments across the street from Crown at Rio are districted to Wootton, the Crown neighborhood is districted to Gaithersburg.

The DuFief, Stone Mill, and Travilah ES are currently districted to Wootton and they're closer to Crown than the current Wootton building.

A boundary study was always going to need to be done when Crown opens because its surrounding area is currently districted to other schools.

The City of Gaithersburg's concerns were addressed when the Fields Road community got moved in along with the Crown neighborhood to Wootton @ Crown in the modified H recommendation.

+1 this. My neighorhood goes to RM but our neighborhood is closer to current Wootton than most of the kids currently in boundsry for Wootton. The majority of Wootton kids live in North Potomac which is closer to Crown and some kids currently at Fallsmead in Wootton cluster can walk to Crown. Its no different than now - some Fallsmead kids can walk to current Wootton, so with the location change other current Fallsmead atudents can walk. Wootton is getting very upset about change for *them* but in a boundary study many students shift schools and boundaries. That is literally the purpose of the 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:At a minimum, Crown should be used as a holding school for Magruder. It would allow the Magruder repairs to be completed much quicker than if they have to wait to fix Wootton before they can use that as their holding school.

And if Taylor wants to use Wootton as a holding school, then there is no reason to move Wootton to Crown unless it is declared unfit for human habitation - which means that MCPS is officially closing Wootton. In that case, MCPS must comply with COMAR regulations, which it hasn’t. Taylor is trying to get around this failure by moving the boundary at the same time he moves Wootton’s kids over to Crown (but not all Wootton kids).

This isn't true. No evidence that a rebuild is a closure. And in fact buildings have been rebuilt on several occasions without it triggering closure requirements.

If Wootton is going to be used as a holding school, there is no reason to close it, move the Wootton boundary to encompass Crown, and transplant the Wootton kids into Crown.

If Taylor officially condemns Wootton’s building, slates it for demolition, and agrees NEVER to use the current building as a holding school, then Option H would make a bit more sense. If he won’t, then this is all a charade to cover up his incompetence or intentional plan to avoid using Crown as a holding school.

Option H does make sense given timing. The Crown building is slated to open in 2027, the need for a holding school will be sometime in the future after 2027, and current enrollment doesn't require a 27th high school.

The current Wootton site is probably going to sit empty for a couple years after Wootton moves to Crown until the holding school is needed.

The point is that if Wootton will be used as the holding school, then it can be operated where it is right now. Crown can be used as a holding school because that gives MCPS the flexibility it needs - just like Woodward is today. Instead, Option H closes a high performing school.

Option H moves Wootton; 5 out of 6 of the elementary schools are staying in the boundary, all the administrators and teachers are moving to the new location. If it was a closure, the admins and teachers would be dispersed among other schools in MCPS.

The current Wootton site as a holding school is the most flexible, since MCPS doesn't have plans to use a holding school by 2027. The needed renovations for Wootton can be delayed until money is budgeted and a holding school is actually needed.

The Crown site will be ready for students by 2027, so either it sits empty waiting for MCPS to need a holding school or it's used for its intended purpose as a high school. Moving Wootton to Crown just makes the most sense given the situation.

FACTS. But Wootton families don't deal in those.

Nope. It closes it. If it were a move, the. Taylor wouldn’t have to move the boundaries to make it happen. He also wouldn’t need to carve up Wootton’s student body. But he’s doing both.

Just admit it. Taylor is trying to fille a school that shouldn’t have been built, but he wants to use Wootton as a holding school - both of which help MCPS cover up its poor planning, with Wootton kids treated as playing cards.

He *doesn't* need to move the boundaries to make it happen. But using the proposed boundaries makes much more sense and is much fairer than simply moving Wootton over as-is. And we are in the midst of a boundary study so it's the appropriate time to make sensible boundary changes to Wootton, and there's no good reason not to (except that some Wootton parents will gripe about it.)

Is the Crown building under construction within Wootton’s boundaries? I thought it was outside Wootton’s boundaries, which is why Taylor had to propose boundary changes in order to avoid Wootton being deemed a closure under Maryland law? If it’s within Wootton’s boundaries, what right to Gaithersburg families have to claim it was built solely for them?

The apartments across the street from Crown at Rio are districted to Wootton, the Crown neighborhood is districted to Gaithersburg.

The DuFief, Stone Mill, and Travilah ES are currently districted to Wootton and they're closer to Crown than the current Wootton building.

A boundary study was always going to need to be done when Crown opens because its surrounding area is currently districted to other schools.

The City of Gaithersburg's concerns were addressed when the Fields Road community got moved in along with the Crown neighborhood to Wootton @ Crown in the modified H recommendation.

So the PP who posted that MCPS didn’t need to move to Wootton boundaries was incorrect? MCPS has to move the boundaries for Option H to work?

[Anonymous]

You people don't know your history.

Woodward was a closed building (along with Northwood, Peary and a bunch of MSs and ESs) after the baby bust demographic decline in the early 1980s. MCPS closed almost 60 schools in mid and downcounty and ended up building a bunch of new ones upcounty because the development patterns changed.

Northwood and Woodward - decaying buildings - were used as holding schools. Peary is now the Berman Academy.

Northwood's last use as a holding school was for BCC in 2000-2003-ish. Northwood reopened in 2004 because the downcounty population was exploding and even the increased size of the new Blair wasn't enough to handle it.

Woodward remained a holding facility and the last school it housed before being programmed in as a new high school was Tilden MS. Then they tore it down, rebuilt the main building and it is now being used to hold Northwood.

Old Northwood and old Woodward were not great facilities when they were used as holding schools. MCPS's ethos about holding schools has been to do the bare minimum, and parents/staff will grit their teeth for the two years they are there.

So this idea of moving Wootton to a new building and using old Wootton as a holding school is a little bit of a departure from the playbook but makes sense within the historical context.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:At a minimum, Crown should be used as a holding school for Magruder. It would allow the Magruder repairs to be completed much quicker than if they have to wait to fix Wootton before they can use that as their holding school.

And if Taylor wants to use Wootton as a holding school, then there is no reason to move Wootton to Crown unless it is declared unfit for human habitation - which means that MCPS is officially closing Wootton. In that case, MCPS must comply with COMAR regulations, which it hasn’t. Taylor is trying to get around this failure by moving the boundary at the same time he moves Wootton’s kids over to Crown (but not all Wootton kids).

This isn't true. No evidence that a rebuild is a closure. And in fact buildings have been rebuilt on several occasions without it triggering closure requirements.

If Wootton is going to be used as a holding school, there is no reason to close it, move the Wootton boundary to encompass Crown, and transplant the Wootton kids into Crown.

If Taylor officially condemns Wootton’s building, slates it for demolition, and agrees NEVER to use the current building as a holding school, then Option H would make a bit more sense. If he won’t, then this is all a charade to cover up his incompetence or intentional plan to avoid using Crown as a holding school.

Option H does make sense given timing. The Crown building is slated to open in 2027, the need for a holding school will be sometime in the future after 2027, and current enrollment doesn't require a 27th high school.

The current Wootton site is probably going to sit empty for a couple years after Wootton moves to Crown until the holding school is needed.

The point is that if Wootton will be used as the holding school, then it can be operated where it is right now. Crown can be used as a holding school because that gives MCPS the flexibility it needs - just like Woodward is today. Instead, Option H closes a high performing school.

Option H moves Wootton; 5 out of 6 of the elementary schools are staying in the boundary, all the administrators and teachers are moving to the new location. If it was a closure, the admins and teachers would be dispersed among other schools in MCPS.

The current Wootton site as a holding school is the most flexible, since MCPS doesn't have plans to use a holding school by 2027. The needed renovations for Wootton can be delayed until money is budgeted and a holding school is actually needed.

The Crown site will be ready for students by 2027, so either it sits empty waiting for MCPS to need a holding school or it's used for its intended purpose as a high school. Moving Wootton to Crown just makes the most sense given the situation.

FACTS. But Wootton families don't deal in those.

Nope. It closes it. If it were a move, the. Taylor wouldn’t have to move the boundaries to make it happen. He also wouldn’t need to carve up Wootton’s student body. But he’s doing both.

Just admit it. Taylor is trying to fille a school that shouldn’t have been built, but he wants to use Wootton as a holding school - both of which help MCPS cover up its poor planning, with Wootton kids treated as playing cards.

Wootton families are saying that their facility is unsafe. If its unsafe the most logical things given what is available is to move them to crown. Every school is getting redistricted, not just Wootton. All our kids are being move around. There also needs to be a holding school as there are many schools that need serious repairs or replacements. Wootton families won by getting a new school.

Just use Crown as a holding school like Woodward, and spend a little money to repair Wootton. This makes sense if Wootton will be repaired in order to use it as a holding school that you claim is desperately needed right now. That makes even more sense because it’s less disruptive than Option H.

It's not a "just". We don't need an additional HS given the declining enrollment.

Crown will be a brand new HS; Wootton still needs a ton of repairs. Wootton can have the bare minimum repairs done to make it a temporary holding school. It makes zero sense to have a brand new HS be a temporary holding school. Once the other schools are repaired, what would Crown, a brand new school, be used for ?

In 5 to 10 years, the enrollment is due to decline significantly. Neighboring HS won't be as over capacity as it is now. So, if Crown HS opens up as a regular HS, and boundaries are redrawn for Crown HS, then the other HS will be < 80% capacity. That's a complete waste of money.

Woodward was like a Wootton. It was already a school but needed a lot of repairs. They repaired it enough to be a holding school. So, as you pointed out, Wootton, like Woodward, should be a holding school, not Crown.

Agree. And it is Wootton community who is proposing an additional high school by advocating for this "hybrid" school. So which is it? We don't need it or we should have it for funsies?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At a minimum, Crown should be used as a holding school for Magruder. It would allow the Magruder repairs to be completed much quicker than if they have to wait to fix Wootton before they can use that as their holding school.

And if Taylor wants to use Wootton as a holding school, then there is no reason to move Wootton to Crown unless it is declared unfit for human habitation - which means that MCPS is officially closing Wootton. In that case, MCPS must comply with COMAR regulations, which it hasn’t. Taylor is trying to get around this failure by moving the boundary at the same time he moves Wootton’s kids over to Crown (but not all Wootton kids).

This isn't true. No evidence that a rebuild is a closure. And in fact buildings have been rebuilt on several occasions without it triggering closure requirements.

If Wootton is going to be used as a holding school, there is no reason to close it, move the Wootton boundary to encompass Crown, and transplant the Wootton kids into Crown.

If Taylor officially condemns Wootton’s building, slates it for demolition, and agrees NEVER to use the current building as a holding school, then Option H would make a bit more sense. If he won’t, then this is all a charade to cover up his incompetence or intentional plan to avoid using Crown as a holding school.

Option H does make sense given timing. The Crown building is slated to open in 2027, the need for a holding school will be sometime in the future after 2027, and current enrollment doesn't require a 27th high school.

The current Wootton site is probably going to sit empty for a couple years after Wootton moves to Crown until the holding school is needed.

The point is that if Wootton will be used as the holding school, then it can be operated where it is right now. Crown can be used as a holding school because that gives MCPS the flexibility it needs - just like Woodward is today. Instead, Option H closes a high performing school.

Option H moves Wootton; 5 out of 6 of the elementary schools are staying in the boundary, all the administrators and teachers are moving to the new location. If it was a closure, the admins and teachers would be dispersed among other schools in MCPS.

The current Wootton site as a holding school is the most flexible, since MCPS doesn't have plans to use a holding school by 2027. The needed renovations for Wootton can be delayed until money is budgeted and a holding school is actually needed.

The Crown site will be ready for students by 2027, so either it sits empty waiting for MCPS to need a holding school or it's used for its intended purpose as a high school. Moving Wootton to Crown just makes the most sense given the situation.

FACTS. But Wootton families don't deal in those.

Nope. It closes it. If it were a move, the. Taylor wouldn’t have to move the boundaries to make it happen. He also wouldn’t need to carve up Wootton’s student body. But he’s doing both.

Just admit it. Taylor is trying to fille a school that shouldn’t have been built, but he wants to use Wootton as a holding school - both of which help MCPS cover up its poor planning, with Wootton kids treated as playing cards.

He *doesn't* need to move the boundaries to make it happen. But using the proposed boundaries makes much more sense and is much fairer than simply moving Wootton over as-is. And we are in the midst of a boundary study so it's the appropriate time to make sensible boundary changes to Wootton, and there's no good reason not to (except that some Wootton parents will gripe about it.)

Is the Crown building under construction within Wootton’s boundaries? I thought it was outside Wootton’s boundaries, which is why Taylor had to propose boundary changes in order to avoid Wootton being deemed a closure under Maryland law? If it’s within Wootton’s boundaries, what right to Gaithersburg families have to claim it was built solely for them?

The apartments across the street from Crown at Rio are districted to Wootton, the Crown neighborhood is districted to Gaithersburg.

The DuFief, Stone Mill, and Travilah ES are currently districted to Wootton and they're closer to Crown than the current Wootton building.

A boundary study was always going to need to be done when Crown opens because its surrounding area is currently districted to other schools.

The City of Gaithersburg's concerns were addressed when the Fields Road community got moved in along with the Crown neighborhood to Wootton @ Crown in the modified H recommendation.

+1 this. My neighorhood goes to RM but our neighborhood is closer to current Wootton than most of the kids currently in boundsry for Wootton. The majority of Wootton kids live in North Potomac which is closer to Crown and some kids currently at Fallsmead in Wootton cluster can walk to Crown. Its no different than now - some Fallsmead kids can walk to current Wootton, so with the location change other current Fallsmead atudents can walk. Wootton is getting very upset about change for *them* but in a boundary study many students shift schools and boundaries. That is literally the purpose of the study ...

You sound cool--come to Wootton at Crown with us? No, I don't blame you--I wouldn't want to be with some of these ppl either. Enjoy RM, it's a great school!!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At a minimum, Crown should be used as a holding school for Magruder. It would allow the Magruder repairs to be completed much quicker than if they have to wait to fix Wootton before they can use that as their holding school.

And if Taylor wants to use Wootton as a holding school, then there is no reason to move Wootton to Crown unless it is declared unfit for human habitation - which means that MCPS is officially closing Wootton. In that case, MCPS must comply with COMAR regulations, which it hasn’t. Taylor is trying to get around this failure by moving the boundary at the same time he moves Wootton’s kids over to Crown (but not all Wootton kids).

This isn't true. No evidence that a rebuild is a closure. And in fact buildings have been rebuilt on several occasions without it triggering closure requirements.

If Wootton is going to be used as a holding school, there is no reason to close it, move the Wootton boundary to encompass Crown, and transplant the Wootton kids into Crown.

If Taylor officially condemns Wootton’s building, slates it for demolition, and agrees NEVER to use the current building as a holding school, then Option H would make a bit more sense. If he won’t, then this is all a charade to cover up his incompetence or intentional plan to avoid using Crown as a holding school.

Option H does make sense given timing. The Crown building is slated to open in 2027, the need for a holding school will be sometime in the future after 2027, and current enrollment doesn't require a 27th high school.

The current Wootton site is probably going to sit empty for a couple years after Wootton moves to Crown until the holding school is needed.

The point is that if Wootton will be used as the holding school, then it can be operated where it is right now. Crown can be used as a holding school because that gives MCPS the flexibility it needs - just like Woodward is today. Instead, Option H closes a high performing school.

Option H moves Wootton; 5 out of 6 of the elementary schools are staying in the boundary, all the administrators and teachers are moving to the new location. If it was a closure, the admins and teachers would be dispersed among other schools in MCPS.

The current Wootton site as a holding school is the most flexible, since MCPS doesn't have plans to use a holding school by 2027. The needed renovations for Wootton can be delayed until money is budgeted and a holding school is actually needed.

The Crown site will be ready for students by 2027, so either it sits empty waiting for MCPS to need a holding school or it's used for its intended purpose as a high school. Moving Wootton to Crown just makes the most sense given the situation.

FACTS. But Wootton families don't deal in those.

Nope. It closes it. If it were a move, the. Taylor wouldn’t have to move the boundaries to make it happen. He also wouldn’t need to carve up Wootton’s student body. But he’s doing both.

Just admit it. Taylor is trying to fille a school that shouldn’t have been built, but he wants to use Wootton as a holding school - both of which help MCPS cover up its poor planning, with Wootton kids treated as playing cards.

He *doesn't* need to move the boundaries to make it happen. But using the proposed boundaries makes much more sense and is much fairer than simply moving Wootton over as-is. And we are in the midst of a boundary study so it's the appropriate time to make sensible boundary changes to Wootton, and there's no good reason not to (except that some Wootton parents will gripe about it.)

Is the Crown building under construction within Wootton’s boundaries? I thought it was outside Wootton’s boundaries, which is why Taylor had to propose boundary changes in order to avoid Wootton being deemed a closure under Maryland law? If it’s within Wootton’s boundaries, what right to Gaithersburg families have to claim it was built solely for them?

The apartments across the street from Crown at Rio are districted to Wootton, the Crown neighborhood is districted to Gaithersburg.

The DuFief, Stone Mill, and Travilah ES are currently districted to Wootton and they're closer to Crown than the current Wootton building.

A boundary study was always going to need to be done when Crown opens because its surrounding area is currently districted to other schools.

The City of Gaithersburg's concerns were addressed when the Fields Road community got moved in along with the Crown neighborhood to Wootton @ Crown in the modified H recommendation.

+1 this. My neighorhood goes to RM but our neighborhood is closer to current Wootton than most of the kids currently in boundsry for Wootton. The majority of Wootton kids live in North Potomac which is closer to Crown and some kids currently at Fallsmead in Wootton cluster can walk to Crown. Its no different than now - some Fallsmead kids can walk to current Wootton, so with the location change other current Fallsmead atudents can walk. Wootton is getting very upset about change for *them* but in a boundary study many students shift schools and boundaries. That is literally the purpose of the study ...

North Potomac is a fancy word for Gaithersburg.

[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:At a minimum, Crown should be used as a holding school for Magruder. It would allow the Magruder repairs to be completed much quicker than if they have to wait to fix Wootton before they can use that as their holding school.

And if Taylor wants to use Wootton as a holding school, then there is no reason to move Wootton to Crown unless it is declared unfit for human habitation - which means that MCPS is officially closing Wootton. In that case, MCPS must comply with COMAR regulations, which it hasn’t. Taylor is trying to get around this failure by moving the boundary at the same time he moves Wootton’s kids over to Crown (but not all Wootton kids).

This isn't true. No evidence that a rebuild is a closure. And in fact buildings have been rebuilt on several occasions without it triggering closure requirements.

If Wootton is going to be used as a holding school, there is no reason to close it, move the Wootton boundary to encompass Crown, and transplant the Wootton kids into Crown.

If Taylor officially condemns Wootton’s building, slates it for demolition, and agrees NEVER to use the current building as a holding school, then Option H would make a bit more sense. If he won’t, then this is all a charade to cover up his incompetence or intentional plan to avoid using Crown as a holding school.

Option H does make sense given timing. The Crown building is slated to open in 2027, the need for a holding school will be sometime in the future after 2027, and current enrollment doesn't require a 27th high school.

The current Wootton site is probably going to sit empty for a couple years after Wootton moves to Crown until the holding school is needed.

The point is that if Wootton will be used as the holding school, then it can be operated where it is right now. Crown can be used as a holding school because that gives MCPS the flexibility it needs - just like Woodward is today. Instead, Option H closes a high performing school.

Option H moves Wootton; 5 out of 6 of the elementary schools are staying in the boundary, all the administrators and teachers are moving to the new location. If it was a closure, the admins and teachers would be dispersed among other schools in MCPS.

The current Wootton site as a holding school is the most flexible, since MCPS doesn't have plans to use a holding school by 2027. The needed renovations for Wootton can be delayed until money is budgeted and a holding school is actually needed.

The Crown site will be ready for students by 2027, so either it sits empty waiting for MCPS to need a holding school or it's used for its intended purpose as a high school. Moving Wootton to Crown just makes the most sense given the situation.

FACTS. But Wootton families don't deal in those.

Nope. It closes it. If it were a move, the. Taylor wouldn’t have to move the boundaries to make it happen. He also wouldn’t need to carve up Wootton’s student body. But he’s doing both.

Just admit it. Taylor is trying to fille a school that shouldn’t have been built, but he wants to use Wootton as a holding school - both of which help MCPS cover up its poor planning, with Wootton kids treated as playing cards.

He *doesn't* need to move the boundaries to make it happen. But using the proposed boundaries makes much more sense and is much fairer than simply moving Wootton over as-is. And we are in the midst of a boundary study so it's the appropriate time to make sensible boundary changes to Wootton, and there's no good reason not to (except that some Wootton parents will gripe about it.)

Is the Crown building under construction within Wootton’s boundaries? I thought it was outside Wootton’s boundaries, which is why Taylor had to propose boundary changes in order to avoid Wootton being deemed a closure under Maryland law? If it’s within Wootton’s boundaries, what right to Gaithersburg families have to claim it was built solely for them?

The apartments across the street from Crown at Rio are districted to Wootton, the Crown neighborhood is districted to Gaithersburg.

The DuFief, Stone Mill, and Travilah ES are currently districted to Wootton and they're closer to Crown than the current Wootton building.

A boundary study was always going to need to be done when Crown opens because its surrounding area is currently districted to other schools.

The City of Gaithersburg's concerns were addressed when the Fields Road community got moved in along with the Crown neighborhood to Wootton @ Crown in the modified H recommendation.

+1 this. My neighorhood goes to RM but our neighborhood is closer to current Wootton than most of the kids currently in boundsry for Wootton. The majority of Wootton kids live in North Potomac which is closer to Crown and some kids currently at Fallsmead in Wootton cluster can walk to Crown. Its no different than now - some Fallsmead kids can walk to current Wootton, so with the location change other current Fallsmead atudents can walk. Wootton is getting very upset about change for *them* but in a boundary study many students shift schools and boundaries. That is literally the purpose of the study ...

North Potomac is a fancy word for Gaithersburg.

Your point? Let me guess--Gaithersburg is scary. Am I right?