Preserving the Integrity of Neighborhood Schools

Save Wootton. Keep Crown for Crown. Modernize Magruder.

Last night, I had the opportunity to meet with a number of Wootton High School parents about Superintendent Taylor’s rushed and ill-advised recommended closure of their beloved high school, a central part of their neighborhood and the greater Rockville community. Parent after parent expressed deep disappointment, frustration, and even exasperation with the current state of affairs in MCPS and with the current Board of Education. Superintendent Thomas Taylor is just not listening.

I echo parents’ deep concerns over MCPS and the Board of Education’s longstanding mismanagement of Wootton High School’s facilities. However, Option H, as proposed by Superintendent Taylor is far from an acceptable solution. In fact, Option H must be rejected and removed from consideration entirely, as it aims to divide and remove a community from their own long-established roots, sparking justified outrage instead of sought-after unity.

I commend the Rockville Mayor and Council for their unanimous letter to the BOE opposing the Superintendent’s recommendation to close Wootton High School and advocating for a ‘Modified Recommendation.’ I also applaud the unified effort between Magruder HS and Wootton High School parents in their most recent statement opposing Option H.

As a current MCPS parent, former Gaithersburg High School teacher, resident of the impacted Crown neighborhood, former Wootton JV Softball Coach, and current Board of Education candidate, my ties to both the Gaithersburg and Rockville communities are strong. I stand with families across these two cities who demand transparency and collaboration from the Board of Education and the Superintendent in determining how best to proceed in honoring the integrity of both communities. We must prioritize responsible, county-wide planning together.

This modified approach, keeping Wootton and Magruder as comprehensive high schools, opening Crown to serve Gaithersburg immediately, and sequencing modernizations responsibly, aligns with my commitment to parental rights and community involvement. Parents deserve a seat at the table when boundary changes that affect their children’s daily lives are being considered. Their voices should not only be heard— they should be heeded by the Board of Education. Top-down mandates from an unelected official such as Superintendent Taylor are wholly unacceptable.

Furthermore, local Rockville leaders proved these recommended changes from Superintendent Taylor ignore Rockville’s projected housing growth and long-term capacity needs. Plans made by local community leaders with local community input should be secure from this sort of unilateral interference from an appointed official working for an entirely separate institution. Equally as important, the Board of Education must halt its endless rubber-stamping of MCPS policies fueling ever-expanding mismanagement through constant overstepping of bounds. The only visible results evident, time and again, have been expensive lawsuits and now a near total erosion of trust in our most vital and precious institution: our public schools!

Finally, we must also tie any future MCPS plans to fiscal prudence: Establish an independent Inspector General to root out waste, ensure budgets deliver measurable improvements in safety and academics, and reinstate SROs to protect our schools amid rising incidents. Let’s build for the future by building trust. Collaboration is the only way forward.

#ParentalRights #DiazForBOE #SaveWootton #KeepCrownForCrown #ModernizeMagruder

Thomas Taylor