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[quote=Anonymous]Dear Northwood High School Community,

Thank You for your advocacy and interest in the construction plans for the new Northwood High School; together, we will work to keep this project on track and do it in a way that has the least impact on students, staff and families. Construction of new facilities for an already established school community always comes with challenges and this will be true for Northwood High during its time at Woodward.  We are partners in this project, and it has been a long time coming, but capacity and aging facility needs require us to keep moving forward. For nearly four years, our facilities team has kept the work going by sharing information about the timeline, project designs, and transition plans and ensuring the project has remained a priority in the overall capital improvement plan for Montgomery County Public Schools.

We have heard your concerns about the school start time, distance, and the impact on programs. Here are some important updates based on the valuable feedback and input we have received from our students, staff, families, and community partners:

Transportation: Original proposals for bus pick-up times started as early as 6:05 a.m. Our new proposal includes adding 17 routes for a total of 33 buses and has an average pickup time of 6:42 a.m. The earliest pickup may be at 6:27 a.m., which is not dissimilar to our current earliest pickup at 6:30 a.m. To be clear, every student, whether a current bus rider or walker, will have access to a bus to go to and from school. The school day then ends at 2:10 p.m. and the same number of buses return students to their bus stops and home.
NOTE: MCPS transportation officials will also make “sweeper buses” available. Two buses will return to designated spots after their normal runs to pick up students who may have missed their regularly scheduled trip.

School start time: To support the new busing plan and provide flexibility first thing in the morning, all first-period classes will now begin at 7:40 a.m. The Woodward building will be open and accessible to students by 6:30 a.m. for any students who may arrive prior to the start of school, as it is now at Northwood.
These changes to the bus schedules and bell times have no impact on any programs offered at Northwood High School. The 2:10 p.m. dismissal time is maintained to support all extracurricular activities, including athletics.

Woodward Auditorium: Moving to a temporary facility that is not yet finished and does not have an auditorium until planned completion in 2027 has understandably caused significant concern. I want to assure you that MCPS remains committed to finding ways to adjust this plan. We will explore innovative ways to bring enough capital funding to the project, allowing us to include an auditorium as early as 2026.  We know that we are able to request funding off-cycle from the scheduled Capital Improvement Project (CIP) schedule, and we are actively looking into this possibility. If successful, it may be possible to secure funding and accelerate the project as soon as this fall if funding is ultimately approved.
NOTE: Northwood High School leaders, including arts and music educators, are partnering directly with central services to ensure a comprehensive plan that includes multiple, near-home, alternate locations and transportation for all performing arts programs.

Student and staff parking: We have also heard your concerns about student and staff parking at the Woodward location, and the MCPS facilities team has confirmed that they will be able to provide the paved space necessary to meet parking needs. Northwood High currently has limited parking, but with careful planning, we are confident that we will meet the expected needs at the Woodward facility. 
Again, thank you for engaging with your school team and advocating with district leaders, including the Board of Education, to ensure the community’s needs are reflected in the project. We also commit to communicating often, especially as changes occur to our plans. In fact there is an updated and refreshed webpage coming that will have all the latest, up-to-date information. More on this in the coming days.

A community takes great pride in its schools, especially its high schools, and the Northwood High community will have a new, modern, and excellent learning facility when the new school opens in 2027. We are excited about the possibilities of this new school and hope you are too.

Thank You,

Brian Hull
MCPS Chief Operating Officer[/quote]

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