As a proud Wootton parent, moments ago, I testified before the Montgomery County Council about what real school safety means, both immediately and long-term.

After watching yesterday’s shooting at Wootton High School in real time, one thing is clear: when seconds matter, trained law-enforcement presence in schools matters, and MCPS must bring back School Resource Officers.

But today’s testimony also focused on something squarely within the County Council’s immediate control: Saving Wootton High School.

The Superintendent’s recommendation to close Wootton High School rather than reinvest in it is profoundly misguided... not only because it follows years of deferred capital investment, but because it will harm the County overall by ignoring documented growth and future capacity needs in this area of the County.

I urged the Council to return Wootton to the Capital Improvement Program and reject a proposal that shifts the consequences of years of inaction onto one community while weakening the school system countywide

The County Council can choose reinvestment over retreat by returning Wootton to the CIP and fixing schools instead of closing them.

My Full Testimony Today: 

As a Wootton Parent and Councilmember, I cannot talk about Wootton High School without acknowledging the deeply disturbing events that occurred yesterday at Wootton High School. A student was shot at our beloved school.

While we are grateful the injuries were not life-threatening, the trauma experienced by students, families, and staff is profound and ongoing.

As a Wootton parent, I want to thank the Rockville City Police Department, the Montgomery County Police Department, and all first responders for their swift and professional response. Their presence mattered.

Yesterday was a stark reminder that school safety cannot be abstract. It must be real, visible, and immediate. That includes a serious, good-faith action to bring back School Resource Officers in MCPS schools. When seconds matter, trained  law-enforcement presence is not theoretical… it is consequential.

But safety is not only about emergency response. It is also about caring for schools and closing schools. And that brings me to why we are here today.

I am here to urge the County Council to return Wootton High School to the County’s Capital Improvements Program. Over the past decade, Wootton was placed in the CIP Multiple Times and removed multiple times. During that same period, the building continued to age. The need did not disappear. The commitment did.

That history matters… especially now. The Superintendent’s recommendation to close Wootton High School rather than reinvest in it is not simply controversial; it is profoundly misguided. Closing a high school in a growing region, after years of deferred capital investment, is not strategic planning. Families from Wootton, Magruder, Richard Montgomery, and the Maryland Building Industry Association oppose this recommendation.

The County Council has the power to change this trajectory. You control the Capital Improvement Program. You control the funding decisions that allowed this problem to fester. And you have the standing to speak out when a proposed solution shifts the consequences of inaction onto one community, while weakening long-term capacity for the county as a whole.

This is not just about Wootton. It is about whether Montgomery County fixes schools, or closes them when neglect becomes inconvenient. If the County can neglect a school for years and then cite that neglect as the reason to close it, no community in Montgomery County is truly protected.

We need your leadership. Rockville and the Wootton community needs to know someone at the County level is looking out for them. And Montgomery County needs solutions that strengthen, not diminish, our public school system.

Rockville and the Wootton Community are asking for leadership: now is the moment for this Council to provide it.

Close Wootton because we failed to invest in it, and every school in Montgomery County learns that neglect not need decides its fate.