Reply to Option H is permanent and the old Wootton HS campus will be closed for good?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]What did everyone think of the speeches today? [/quote]

I learned a lot actually. It does sound like MCPS jumped the gun and there's too many unanswered questions. Why did they go back and amend the scope of the boundary study for EFG and not H? Feels like H was a last minute add, and I'm not comfortable going forward with it was so many unanswered questions.

I also really really appreciated Magruder's testimony. It was powerful. 
There's no conceivable argument I can come up with for why Magruder or any other school would want Wootton over Crown.

Here's a copy and paste:

Good afternoon Dr. Taylor, President Rivera-Oven, and Members of the Board,
My name is Kim Glassman. I am the Magruder PTSA President, and parent of two MCPS
students. I am testifying today to encourage the Board to reject Option H, and reject using the
current Wootton as a holding school. In the current plan, despite having the worst Facility
Condition Index of all MCPS high schools, Magruder may finally reach the front of the line to be
renovated around 2031, assuming there are no further delays between now and then. Option H
makes more delays even more likely.
I have spent years hearing about the dilapidated conditions at Wootton. Though our FCI is
worse, I’m told Wootton appears worse. If the Wootton facility is so bad that Wootton must move
into Crown right away, then it is not good enough for our less connected, quieter, and less
wealthy community to be used as a holding school. If the mold, mildew, rat infestation, gas
leaks, HVAC, and plumbing issues are too much, then it is certainly not going to be better 5
years from now when it is finally Magruder’s turn. Preparing Wootton to be a holding school
would take more time and more money, which only pushes Magruder’s long overdue renovation
out even further. Magruder does not have more time to wait.
Our cluster is divided between three BOE districts. Flower Hill, Mill Creek and Resnik ES are in
district one. Shady Grove is in district two, and Magruder, Redland, and its feeder elementary
schools are in district 5. We are a community with a high percentage of FARMS, ever FARMS,
and EML families.
There are already significant transportation barriers in our community. There is no bus that runs
down Snouffer School to Magruder, which makes it challenging for district 1 families to access
Magruder. The shortest route from Flower Hill to Wootton requires a bus to the metro, a metro
ride to Rockville, and then another bus to Wootton. The high school is often used as a larger
space for events for the cluster and by feeder schools, such as for concerts or promotion
ceremonies. It takes twice as long to get from the District 1 area to Wootton as it does to get to
the Crown area. Making Wootton our "home" for years adds a layer of inaccessibility for our
families.
I support having a holding school. I do not support Wootton being our holding school. Magruder
needs to be renovated as quickly as possible. We cannot afford more delays by first preparing a
facility we know is almost as bad as ours to be a holding school. What will it take to prioritize
Magruder? Is it another ceiling falling during a show, perhaps landing on the audience? More
days of missed instruction due to lack of A/C? We were told that the order of renovation and
construction is decided based on math. Mathematically, Magruder is the next high school after
Damascus and 7th on the overall list of schools prioritized for major construction projects. In
Option H, Wootton jumps the line, and Magruder has to wait even longer. Please reject Option
H.
Thank you,
Kim Glassman[/quote]

I don't get this. What does she want? I think I get her concern, but I don't see how any of the plausible alternatives to H create a better situation. Not going with H means there won't be a holding school and there will be less money for capital improvements elsewhere.[/quote]

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