Taylor's Feb Rec for Crown Boundary Study

[Anonymous]

I’m copying this from the Magruder thread and would love to hear thoughts:

Essentially, if money isn’t there for 27th school or for Wootton renovations to be turned into a holding school, why not let Magruder use Crown first and then decide what to do? It buys an extra 2-3 years and perhaps we will see an enrollment and funding difference, perhaps we won’t. But what is the harm in postponing for a few years to allow Magruder to finally get some priority?


That’s exactly the problem. Everything for Magruder is hypothetical, and we’ve been pushed back and ignored year after year.

If Crown was to be a holding school, Magruder will have a higher chance of seeing something happen, as MCPS wouldn’t want a brand new school just to sit there empty. Crown as a holding school is the fastest option for Magruder. Whereas with the current recommendation, who knows when Wootton will ever be ready as a holding school and who knows when Magruder will ever see renovations. Not to mention Crown is a much more accessible school location wise.

Let Magruder use Crown, then Wootton. Then revisit the boundary study 5 years or so from now. By then, enrollment may be in a completely different place as international students and federal jobs come back, and all the housing developments continue to boom in that area. You don’t have to operate a 27th school if you deem it to be unnecessary then. You can still move Wootton to Crown, in fact, Wootton would already be at Crown if Crown is a holding school. Just make a plan for Magruder

Magruder has been patient.
Magruder has been polite.

The time for all that is over.
Magruder can’t wait any longer.
Magruder is one of the highest FARMS schools in all of the county. Is this why the Board thinks it can ignore us time and time again?

[Anonymous]

^ Wootton is unsafe. Staff there don't want to remain at Wootton without major issues being fixed.

I can't believe parents would prioritize perceived prestige over keeping the environment where their kids are there for six hours, five days a week safe. You guys are basically prestige whores.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:^ Wootton is unsafe. Staff there don't want to remain at Wootton without major issues being fixed.

I can't believe parents would prioritize perceived prestige over keeping the environment where their kids are there for six hours, five days a week safe. You guys are basically prestige whores.

If Wootton is unsafe for Wootton, why is it safe for Magruder?

If Wootton is only safe for Magruder when it gets $100 million for renovations, why is $100 million available for it to be has a holding school for Magruder kids but not available for it to be used as a permanent school for its own kids?

And where is that $100 million coming from? And when? Why isn’t that on CIP? Why isn’t Magruder on CIP?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^ Wootton is unsafe. Staff there don't want to remain at Wootton without major issues being fixed.

I can't believe parents would prioritize perceived prestige over keeping the environment where their kids are there for six hours, five days a week safe. You guys are basically prestige whores.

If Wootton is unsafe for Wootton, why is it safe for Magruder?

If Wootton is only safe for Magruder when it gets $100 million for renovations, why is $100 million available for it to be has a holding school for Magruder kids but not available for it to be used as a permanent school for its own kids?

And where is that $100 million coming from? And when? Why isn’t that on CIP? Why isn’t Magruder on CIP?

Minimum renovations can be done in several years, and Macgruder wouldn't go there until then. Also, Macgruder doesn't have a brand new HS next door.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^ Wootton is unsafe. Staff there don't want to remain at Wootton without major issues being fixed.

I can't believe parents would prioritize perceived prestige over keeping the environment where their kids are there for six hours, five days a week safe. You guys are basically prestige whores.

If Wootton is unsafe for Wootton, why is it safe for Magruder?

If Wootton is only safe for Magruder when it gets $100 million for renovations, why is $100 million available for it to be has a holding school for Magruder kids but not available for it to be used as a permanent school for its own kids?

And where is that $100 million coming from? And when? Why isn’t that on CIP? Why isn’t Magruder on CIP?

Minimum renovations can be done in several years, and Macgruder wouldn't go there until then. Also, Macgruder doesn't have a brand new HS next door.

I wonder if they are strategizing to spread out the renovations over a few years to help the budget be more feasible. Not that it helps Magruder now but could help for things to actually get done at Wootton and they won't be contending with students being in the building.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^ Wootton is unsafe. Staff there don't want to remain at Wootton without major issues being fixed.

I can't believe parents would prioritize perceived prestige over keeping the environment where their kids are there for six hours, five days a week safe. You guys are basically prestige whores.

If Wootton is unsafe for Wootton, why is it safe for Magruder?

If Wootton is only safe for Magruder when it gets $100 million for renovations, why is $100 million available for it to be has a holding school for Magruder kids but not available for it to be used as a permanent school for its own kids?

And where is that $100 million coming from? And when? Why isn’t that on CIP? Why isn’t Magruder on CIP?

This is the part that's squishy.

I THINK MCPS is not putting Magruder and waiting for the building to get to a really bad place as a way of forcing the county or the state to kick in more money once it becomes an emergency. It's horrible because it means putting students and staff's wellbeing at risk, but I think that's the gambit MCPS is playing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^ Wootton is unsafe. Staff there don't want to remain at Wootton without major issues being fixed.

I can't believe parents would prioritize perceived prestige over keeping the environment where their kids are there for six hours, five days a week safe. You guys are basically prestige whores.

If Wootton is unsafe for Wootton, why is it safe for Magruder?

If Wootton is only safe for Magruder when it gets $100 million for renovations, why is $100 million available for it to be has a holding school for Magruder kids but not available for it to be used as a permanent school for its own kids?

And where is that $100 million coming from? And when? Why isn’t that on CIP? Why isn’t Magruder on CIP?

This is the part that's squishy.

I THINK MCPS is not putting Magruder and waiting for the building to get to a really bad place as a way of forcing the county or the state to kick in more money once it becomes an emergency. It's horrible because it means putting students and staff's wellbeing at risk, but I think that's the gambit MCPS is playing.

Good point.

[Anonymous]

The problem Magruder faces to get prioritization is one of funding, not which building it goes to as a holding school. The holding school is meant to hold students while renovations are done. Whether Magruder goes to Wootton or Crown has no bearing on the funding. Using Crown won’t make the funding appear. Worse, the local students would be denied their permanent school.

The focus should be on getting the county council to approve additional funding. That’s where the political pressure would be the most fruitful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The problem Magruder faces to get prioritization is one of funding, not which building it goes to as a holding school. The holding school is meant to hold students while renovations are done. Whether Magruder goes to Wootton or Crown has no bearing on the funding. Using Crown won’t make the funding appear. Worse, the local students would be denied their permanent school.

The focus should be on getting the county council to approve additional funding. That’s where the political pressure would be the most fruitful.

I think Magruder is pressing the issue now though because the fastest way to getting a new building is by having a holding school, and they've calculated that using Crown as a holding school is more strategic and feasible compared to the less realistic of using Wootton as a holding school.

[Anonymous]

Currently the fastest way Magruder can get renovated is 2033 if there’s a holding school. If the Recommendation is voted down and we get the alternative recommendation, Magruder unfortunately will have to wait years more. There is no Rockville amendment or other proposal before the board. Just political pandering.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Recognizing some of these names on the petition to move Wootton:
https://www.change.org/p/move-wootton-high-school

These families are from the Dufief and Stone Mill areas.

MCPS really should have just made it easy and have Crown High School pull from its immediate area and North Potomac area and then also make it a third county wide magnet type of program. So have three regions instead of six for the regional programs.

Then they could have moved Wayside to Wootton and maybe Ritchie Park, regardless of what families there want, to help with the portables issue at RM.

This was proposed as an earlier option, but Churchill parents complained, threatened to sue, and Taylor caved in short order. Didn’t hear anyone on DCUM saying that was inappropriate, but when Wootton parents do the same thing they’re wrong?

Guess what? MCPS is subject to political pressure from anyone who can successfully bring it to bear. If that doesn’t work, then litigation is often the next step. People here may think it’s a waste, but from everything I’ve read, the case has some merits - perhaps enough to get a preliminary injunction before any irreparable harm is caused to the Wootton community. Since Taylor already proposed using Crown as a holding school, he can’t complain that doing so temporarily would cause MCPS any irreparable harm while the litigation proceeds.

Can you share more about the legal claim being made or the things you have read? I have also heard the rumblings about litigation but haven’t seen any details of the legal grounds on which this case would be made.

[Anonymous]

Truth is, Magruder could use Crown or Wootton as a holding school if they ever get funding. It just looks better to team up with a larger group and of course an opportunistic politician would take that and run with it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Truth is, Magruder could use Crown or Wootton as a holding school if they ever get funding. It just looks better to team up with a larger group and of course an opportunistic politician would take that and run with it.

Wootton won’t be ready as a holding school for years, but Crown will be ready in fall 2027.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m copying this from the Magruder thread and would love to hear thoughts:

Essentially, if money isn’t there for 27th school or for Wootton renovations to be turned into a holding school, why not let Magruder use Crown first and then decide what to do? It buys an extra 2-3 years and perhaps we will see an enrollment and funding difference, perhaps we won’t. But what is the harm in postponing for a few years to allow Magruder to finally get some priority?


That’s exactly the problem. Everything for Magruder is hypothetical, and we’ve been pushed back and ignored year after year.

If Crown was to be a holding school, Magruder will have a higher chance of seeing something happen, as MCPS wouldn’t want a brand new school just to sit there empty. Crown as a holding school is the fastest option for Magruder. Whereas with the current recommendation, who knows when Wootton will ever be ready as a holding school and who knows when Magruder will ever see renovations. Not to mention Crown is a much more accessible school location wise.

Let Magruder use Crown, then Wootton. Then revisit the boundary study 5 years or so from now. By then, enrollment may be in a completely different place as international students and federal jobs come back, and all the housing developments continue to boom in that area. You don’t have to operate a 27th school if you deem it to be unnecessary then. You can still move Wootton to Crown, in fact, Wootton would already be at Crown if Crown is a holding school. Just make a plan for Magruder

Magruder has been patient.
Magruder has been polite.

The time for all that is over.
Magruder can’t wait any longer.
Magruder is one of the highest FARMS schools in all of the county. Is this why the Board thinks it can ignore us time and time again?

Magruder should come first. Wootton families are saying the school is unsafe. So, is it unsafe or safe?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:^ Wootton is unsafe. Staff there don't want to remain at Wootton without major issues being fixed.

I can't believe parents would prioritize perceived prestige over keeping the environment where their kids are there for six hours, five days a week safe. You guys are basically prestige whores.

Is it safe or not? Parents are saying its unsafe, till they were offered to move to Crown and now want to stay. Why do they want their kids in an unsafe building?