The Banner reported on Superintendent Thomas Taylor's recommendation to relocate Thomas S. Wootton High School from its longtime Rockville campus to the new Crown High School in Gaithersburg, a proposal that has generated significant opposition from students, families, and community leaders.

The article highlighted my opposition to the proposal, including concerns I raised in a January memorandum about the financial and operational consequences of using Wootton's aging building as a temporary holding school for other students. As The Banner quoted from my memorandum:

My concerns extend well beyond the condition of Wootton's building. The recommendation fails to adequately account for future residential development, long-term enrollment needs, transportation impacts, and Rockville's adopted plans for growth. It also risks undermining the stability of established school communities while failing to provide a comprehensive solution to our region's school facility challenges.

I have consistently advocated for a better alternative: opening Crown High School to serve the growing Gaithersburg community, preserving Wootton as a permanent high school on Wootton Parkway, and establishing a responsible plan to modernize aging schools, including Magruder.

We should not have to sacrifice an entire community's succesful high school. Our students and families deserve a comprehensive, fiscally responsible approach that invests in our existing schools while planning for future growth.

With the Board of Education scheduled to vote on March 26, I will continue advocating alongside our families, school communities, and fellow elected officials for a solution that protects Wootton's future and better serves students throughout our region. Read the full article: Wootton High students would go to school in Gaithersburg under superintendent’s plan, by Talia Richman, The Baltimore Banner, February 5, 2026.

www.thebanner.com

A public hearing on the proposal is scheduled for Feb. 23.