The Montgomery County Board of Education approved a block of plans that will bring major changes to the school system, including a controversial decision to relocate Thomas Wootton High School in Rockville to a site under construction in the Crown area of Gaithersburg.
Board member Julie Yang was the only “no” vote Thursday evening.
The vote followed a boundary and utilization study ordered by Superintendent Thomas Taylor.
Now approved:
- The reopening of Charles W. Woodward High School and the expansion of Northwood High School;
- The establishment of a regional approach to secondary programs designed to essentially spread out and expand what historically has been offered in highly sought-after magnet programs;
- And the relocation of Wootton High School.
The Wootton decision roiled the community. Parents and students on both sides of the issue disagreed on how to handle the fact the school — built in 1971 — has a crumbling physical plant and is long overdue for a renovation that would amount to rebuilding.
Parent Jessica Lee feels the move to Crown is right for her children.
“For me to pass up the idea of my kids going to a brand new, state-of-the-art high school,” she said. “We literally drive by and my kids go, ‘Oh, what is that?’”
Other parents, some of them Wootton alums themselves, battled long and heatedly against relocating the school. Shortly after the vote, they announced their next move.
“I am extremely disappointed in the decision, but not surprised, and we came prepared,” one parent said. “So, I am happy to announce we have formally retained the law firm of Silverman Thompson.”
The move to Crown would take place in the 2027-28 school year.
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