Parents and school leaders press council to approve MCPS CIP amendments and finish Woodward auditorium

Parents, students and school leaders urged the Montgomery County Council at a public hearing to approve amendments to the FY25–30 Capital Improvements Program that would finish several long-delayed school projects and address widespread building deficiencies.

Doregan Hoffman, speaking for the Walter Johnson cluster PTAs, said the cluster "strongly encourages the county council to approve the amendments to the 2025–2030 CIP as recommended by Superintendent Taylor, the Board of Education, and the County Executive." Hoffman highlighted Woodward High School, which is being completed and is scheduled to reopen as a new high school in August 2027 to relieve overcrowding at Walter Johnson High School. Hoffman told the council that Walter Johnson has "swelled to 3,100 students — more than 700 students over capacity." He said the superintendent and board recommended allocating $28,000,000 to finish the Woodward auditorium, athletic fields and other spaces and also requested an additional $15,000,000 to cover a state aid shortfall for the Woodward project.

Sally McCarthy, chair of the MCCPTA capital improvements committee, voiced broad support for MCPS amendments that would fund auditoriums at Woodward and Crown High Schools, stadium enhancements at the new Northwood and $4,500,000 toward a backlog of HVAC repairs countywide. McCarthy praised MCPS’s stated commitment to a "data driven and transparent" approach to prioritizing projects and urged the council to proceed with an infrastructure financing study and to incorporate community input.

Students and PTA representatives described deteriorating conditions at Magruder and Thomas S. Wootton High School and urged the council to restore those schools to the CIP schedule. Magruder senior Alba Castellaro described unreliable elevators that affect students with limited mobility and unsafe parking lots and bathrooms. Aashi Stanislaus, co-president of the Wootton Student Government Association, said prolonged bathroom closures and an outdated HVAC system disrupt learning and that Wootton is one of the county's older schools that has not received a major renovation.

Multiple speakers asked the council to consider the timing of a boundary study that will affect families and to ensure new capacity projects provide the same amenities as other MCPS high schools. "When new students enter Woodward High School in August 2027, they must have the same opportunities and basic amenities of all other Montgomery County High School students, including an auditorium," Hoffman said.

Brian Rabin, Wootton PTSA president, repeated calls for a full rebuild or major capital project for Thomas S. Wootton High School, saying prior superintendent and board recommendations have repeatedly been delayed and that the building continues to deteriorate. Advocates pressed the council to prioritize ADA fixes, HVAC repairs and long-term planning and to avoid piecemeal fixes that leave older schools behind.

The speakers requested the council follow through on funding allocations recommended by the superintendent and board, noting that some projects appear shifted to out years or removed from the schedule without firm completion dates. The public hearing closed after panels of speakers presented oral testimony; no formal council votes were recorded during the hearing.