By Adam Pagnucco.
The debate over the fate of Wootton High School is one of the hottest discussions in the county right now. MCPS Superintendent Thomas Taylor has floated the notion of relocating Wootton to a new building at Gaithersburg’s Crown site, which is a 10-minute drive away. Rockville City Council Member Adam Van Grack proposed renovating or rebuilding the existing Wootton facility instead. Gaithersburg City Council Member Yamil Hernández disagreed, defending the relocation as giving “Wootton students access to a modern facility now, not in some uncertain future CIP cycle years and years in the future.”
Now Van Grack has replied to Hernández. His response follows.
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December 18, 2025
Fact Do Matter in the Wootton/Crown Conversation – So Does Context and Community
A response to Gaithersburg City Councilmember Yamil Hernández https://montgomeryperspective.com/2025/12/18/facts-not-fear-should-guide-the-crown-wootton-conversation/
As a neighbor, fellow public servant, and parent deeply invested in the success of all students in Montgomery County, I was truly pleased to see Gaithersburg City Councilmember Yamil Hernández engage in the public conversation about the proposed changes affecting Wootton High School. Our community – whether in Rockville, Gaithersburg, or beyond – benefits when leaders participate thoughtfully in these difficult discussions. Obviously, Wootton High School is very close to my heart; however, that perspective has helped me understand all the facts. Being so close to the school for most of my life has helped me appreciate Wootton’s value to the surrounding community and see Wootton’s continuing value to the community through my son’s eyes. That said, it is important to clarify a few points and to ensure the record is grounded in all the facts, including lived community experience.
1. Facts and Context Matter – Across the Board. I agree wholeheartedly with Councilmember Hernández that decisions of this magnitude should be grounded in facts. Indeed, my letter to MCPS laid out specific, concrete factual concerns about the current proposal but not fear-mongering whatsoever. My letter’s concerns included the critical role Wootton High School plays as a community hub in Rockville and the deep, long-standing collaboration between Wootton High and nearby Frost Middle School, which is more than a just sentimental attachment but a real educational and social asset to our children and families. As Councilmember Hernández admits, “the idea of closing Wootton strikes at the heart of a community for which it has served as a pillar for decades.” That is not just “emotion.” It is the acknowledgement of the undisputed importance that Wootton has played in its surrounding community for five decades. And make no mistake, Wootton’s facility issues are real. The building opened 1970 and has never received a comprehensive modernization; the Facility Condition Assessment repeatedly describes Wootton’s building in “poor” condition. That concern is precisely why we have supported renovation or a rebuild but not abandonment of the site. Keeping the Wootton High School on Wootton Parkway and investing in the Wootton Campus will address safety and infrastructure issues without dislocating students from a community hub that is central to their daily lives. MCPS’s past refusals to renovate our beloved school should not result in the detriment to our community of our campus’s elimination.
2. Enrollment Trends Require Nuance. Councilmember Hernández is correct that MCPS has observed county-wide enrollment shifts, including slower growth in some areas. However, these trends do not automatically justify dismantling longstanding neighborhood schools like Wootton High School, which still educates a full complement of students, acts as a community hub, and maintains a strong academic reputation. Projections are not undisputed “facts;” they are just predictions. Coincidentally, the new high school at Crown itself was built based on enrollment projections that MCPS now admits were wrong! There is no reason to disrupt Wootton based on today’s predictions that may or may not come to pass. Enrollment projections should inform, not dictate, policy… especially when the negative impacts include disrupting student stability, ending student collaboration with a neighboring school, destroying a community’s identity, creating transportation inefficiencies, and ending local access to school resources.
3. Resource Stewardship Must Be Balanced with Community Equity. Councilmember Hernández suggests that “Option H (modified)” could simultaneously address facility issues and create efficiency. However, bussing many hundreds of walking/biking students is not efficient. Further, facility issues and efficiency are not the only issues we must consider. We must also consider essential community ties – especially in this age of isolation among our children. A new facility at Crown might be appealing on paper, but permanently closing Wootton High School would effectively hollow out the heart of the community it has served for over five decades. Such a devastating act cannot be taken lightly. Furthermore, relying solely on capacity and enrollment data without examining the social infrastructure (how schools such as Wootton High School function as community anchors) risks overlooking significant non-academic harms. These fact-based harms are not speculative; they are recognizable in the everyday activities that the Wootton Campus supports — from PTSA programs, election sites, scouting events, community yard sales, community youth races, collaboration with Frost Middle School, and other community events — that simply cannot be replicated elsewhere.
4. Upholding Respectful Discourse. Councilmember Hernández and I agree in our call for respect and civic engagement in this debate. I join in that commitment for all our communities. But respect works both ways: it requires listening to parents who worry that broad policy solutions may discount community and neighborhood needs, and it demands honest engagement with the lived experiences of students, educators, and families who have entrusted us with caring for their schools and community centers. We must engage careful, responsible decision-making that weighs all potential consequences. Acknowledging the importance of school-community ties, feeder-pattern continuity, proximity to family, and local access to an important community hub is part of a complete and honest assessment of educational policy. Additionally, neither my letter nor any other communication to my knowledge used any of the repulsive language referred to by Councilmember Hernández. Let’s agree to discuss this important issue without accusations by either side.
5. Shared Goals, Different Paths. Councilmember Hernández and I both want what is best for children in Rockville and Gaithersburg – safe, modern facilities that support high-quality education. However, we differ on how best to achieve that while preserving neighborhood schools, community hubs, and honoring longstanding community bonds. I remain ready to work collaboratively with leaders across Montgomery County – including Gaithersburg’s elected officials – to refine proposals that preserve Wootton High School on its current campus, secure the modern facilities our students deserve, and ensure decisions are truly informed by a full range of facts: educational, social, and community-centered.
Conclusion. Facts do matter. Data matters. But so do people, places, and community identities. We should not have to choose between them. My aim, and the aim of the Wootton Community, is to ensure that policy decisions reflect all of these realities. I remain committed to that balanced, evidence-based, and community-respectful approach.
Respectfully,
Adam Van Grack
Councilmember, City of Rockville