By Adam Pagnucco.
In the aftermath of Superintendent Thomas Taylor’s recommendation to relocate Wootton High School to Gaithersburg’s Crown site and to use the current Wootton building as a holding school, Rockville Mayor Monique Ashton and Rockville City Council Members Barry Jackson and Adam Van Grack issued statements saying they were disappointed by the superintendent’s choice.
For the record, it’s not just the mayor and these two council members who oppose Wootton’s relocation. The mayor and every member of the city council signed a December 19 letter to the school board and the county council opposing the move. The letter is available for download below.
Twinbrook Wootton Advocacy Letter December 19, 2025
The City of Rockville does not fund MCPS as does the county government. However, Rockville (along with Gaithersburg) is one of the largest municipalities in Montgomery County. Its elected officials could join forces with its PTAs and civic organizations to make this issue an important one in the upcoming county elections. While I don’t have a personal opinion on the issue since I don’t live in Rockville, I plan to include a question about the Wootton/Crown proposal in my upcoming questionnaire to county candidates. Whether they support it or oppose it, let them all go on the record on one of the hottest issues in county politics.
Now to the statements by Rockville’s elected officials. Let’s start with Mayor Monique Ashton.
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I am deeply disappointed by the recommendation to permanently close Wootton and not move forward on the Twinbrook Feasibility study.
My colleagues and I have shared our concerns. I will continue to stand up for our community and need your help. Please share your feedback:
https://www.savewootton.org/decisionmakers.html
The Rockville Mayor and Council unequivocally supported a fully renovated Wootton High School on the Wootton Parkway campus that remains in Rockville. We have also reached out to be a collaborator and partner on improving the building. I am exceedingly concerned that funding has been completely removed from the CIP for this project, and do not support any option that permanently shuts down Wootton High School and shifts the community of students and teachers miles outside of Rockville, removing a walkable and vibrant school community from Rockville. For more than a decade, the Mayor and Council and the community have been advocating for this urgently needed project renovation. In addition, Rockville needs the capacity and school infrastructure. We have been given new housing targets by the state, and we are working to continue to build economic opportunity and growth for all. Adequate school infrastructure is critical to meeting those goals.
Our City already has multiple MCPS properties that are in a state of transition, such as Stonestreet, Carver, and Rock Terrace and we know how long it takes to repurpose properties and give them new life. I am concerned about the impact of this decision adding another vacancy in our City.
My colleagues and I have also shared that we strongly support Twinbrook Feasibility implementation. We have offered to collaborate. We also support Linkages to Learning program at this school and have supported other area schools through funding, school counselors, and public safety and social services. We deeply value all of the schools, teachers, students, staff, and families. Education is the great equalizer. It is a launching pad for the next generation. I will continue to stand up in support of our community, schools, and education.
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Now to Council Member Barry Jackson.
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Disappointment With Superintendent’s Recommendation to Close Wootton
The Superintendent’s recommendation regarding the Crown/Wootton boundary study is utterly disappointing and frankly infuriating. His suggestion to close Thomas S. Wootton High School and relocate students to the Crown Farm site ignores the reality and history this community shares.
He claims that safety concerns at the current Wootton site justify its closure, yet he then proposes using Wootton as a holding school for other students. If Wootton truly needs repairs, why on earth would it be used as a temporary stopgap for other schools’ students? This inconsistency is maddening.
Let’s be clear: this is a closure. No matter how it’s dressed up with diplomatic language, everyone in Rockville—especially in Wootton—knows that this school, this institution, and all it stands for are being closed down. No mere linguistic change can distract or appease the community.
The flaws in this approach are glaring. First, it completely ignores the expected growth in Gaithersburg and Rockville over the next 5 to 10 years. Both City Councils prioritize economic development and new housing, much of which will be in the Crown/Wootton corridor. If MCPS admits that enrollment is declining and their data was flawed, then they have a duty to investigate why their models failed—not to accept now declining enrollment as a justification for closing Wootton.
The Maryland Building Industry Association also raised substantive concerns about Option H’s long-term planning implications. (https://montgomeryperspective.com/2026/01/27/builders-oppose-relocating-wootton-high-school/) When school communities, elected officials and an organization focused on housing, growth, and enrollment demand reach the same conclusion, it underscores that this is not a localized issue, but a countywide planning concern with lasting consequences.
Second, MCPS and the Board of Education have a poor track record of repurposing their unused properties within Rockville. The community around Wootton has watched a neglected, aging property decline further without any clear plan for its future. Now MCPS wants to add another one.
Third, relocating students to Crown as Wootton becomes a holding school will only cause more traffic congestion and logistical nightmares, especially with limited roads into and out of the area. The community’s legitimate concerns cannot be ignored.
Finally, it’s obvious this option appeared out of nowhere. After months of debate over options A through G, suddenly this new proposal emerged with little warning and leapfrogged to the front.
Why? That’s the real question.
I expect the City, Mayor, and Council to demand answers and scrutinize this recommendation thoroughly. I will work with my colleagues to uncover the logic behind this decision and to push for transparency.
More than anything, Wootton students and their families deserve answers. The community must continue to meet, to speak out, and to fight against the closure of Wootton. They should not be silent and should stand firm until their voices are heard.
I stand with Wootton.
Barry
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We will finish with Council Member Adam Van Grack.
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I am deeply disappointed by the Superintendent’s decision to recommend Option H, and I am extremely concerned that this recommendation does not reflect a path in the best interest of Montgomery County.
Over the past several months, families, students, educators, and community leaders from the Wootton, Magruder, and Richard Montgomery clusters have engaged extensively with the Board and Superintendent. Their message has been remarkably consistent: Option H creates widespread disruption, undermines long-term planning, and does not align with the growth realities facing Montgomery County.
Importantly, I want to sincerely thank everyone who testified today and over the past several months in opposition to Option H. Parents, students, and residents showed up repeatedly to share thoughtful, data-driven concerns. That level of civic engagement reflects the very best of Montgomery County and deserves careful consideration from the Board.
It is also significant that the Maryland Building Industry Association raised substantive concerns about Option H’s long-term planning implications. (https://montgomeryperspective.com/2026/01/27/builders-oppose-relocating-wootton-high-school/) When school communities and an organization focused on housing, growth, and enrollment demand reach the same conclusion, it underscores that this is not a localized issue, but a countywide planning concern with lasting consequences.
From the City of Rockville’s perspective, the proposed closure and relocation of Wootton High School is particularly troubling. Wootton is not just a building; it is a core community institution that anchors neighborhoods, supports nearby schools, and represents decades of public investment. Removing this successful, comprehensive high school from Rockville would weaken the city’s educational infrastructure and disrupt the surrounding community.
More broadly, closing Wootton is not just a Rockville issue. Montgomery County continues to experience significant residential growth, particularly in the Gaithersburg/Rockville corridor. Permanently reducing high school capacity in this part of the county runs counter to long-term enrollment trends and limits future flexibility for the entire system.
It remains clear to me that moving forward with Option H is not in the best interest of Montgomery County or MCPS. Decisions of this magnitude should build public confidence, support stability, and reflect sound, forward-looking planning; today’s recommendation does none of these. I urge the Board of Education to carefully weigh the unified concerns raised across multiple clusters and stakeholders and to consider a boundary alternative that better serve students, families, and the county as a whole.