Reply to Taylor's Feb Rec for Crown Boundary Study

Forum Index » Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS)

Reply to "Taylor's Feb Rec for Crown Boundary Study"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous]This by far is the most compelling anti H recommendation speech:

My name is Kim Glassman, President of the Magruder PTSA. I have advocated for years as PTA
President and cluster coordinator, expecting it would lead to accountability, transparency, and
action. I am here again because sadly it has not.

Under the Superintendent’s recommendation, Wootton jumps the line, and Magruder is left behind.
Testimony in support of the Superintendent’s recommendation highlighted poor conditions at
Wootton. Mold, roof leaks, failing HVAC, and bad plumbing, are fine, so long as it’s for Magruder.
I have sent each of you our questions. Most remain unanswered. I will credit Dr. Taylor for one. The
projected cost to renovate Wootton as a holding school is $100 million.

Suggesting MCPS might even skip fixing Wootton before using it as a holding school signals that
poor facilities are acceptable — for some clusters — but not others. Wootton is bad. Bad enough to
move them to a brand new building immediately. As Ms. Stewart pointed out, Wootton has an ever
FARMS rate of 18%, compared to 65% at Magruder. Why are those conditions fine for our kids? We
are not asking to be relocated to Crown. We are asking for a reasonable holding school without
further delay. That exists at Crown, not Wootton.

The MCPS presentation showed system benefits, but offered no clarity for Magruder. A holding
school is a lot easier for you to use for short-term HVAC and roof work than committing $300 million
for a full scale renovation. This may leave Magruder untouched for another decade or more.
After decades of neglect and deferred maintenance, we are now being asked to wait longer, trust
the process, and be happy MCPS may get to Magruder one day eventually in the future.
Our cluster spans three Board of Ed districts. Not one of our elected officials has responded to me
or others. Your silence sends a message. President Rivera-Oven, my invitation for a tour stands.
You are welcome anytime.

Dr. Taylor originally proposed Crown opening briefly as a holding school, like Woodward has while
Northwood is renovated. That option is gone. However, under the amendment put forth by
Rockville, based on the original suggestion by Gaithersburg’s mayor, there is a path forward for all.
I again ask MCPS to answer basic “WH” questions:

-If Wootton is too unsafe for its students, why is it acceptable for ours?
-When will Wootton be renovated to be a holding school
-With what money?
-If there is a holding school, how will Magruder be prioritized?
-What is your actual plan for addressing Magruder’s long standing needs?

These are not rhetorical questions.
If equity is the standard, then Magruder should not continue as the most depleted high school
without a plan.
We deserve transparency. We deserve action.[/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics