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Parents, students and local officials press Montgomery County Council to fund urgent school modernizations
Summary
At a Feb. 10 public hearing on the FY27–32 CIP, parents, students and municipal leaders urged the Montgomery County Council to fund renovations and rebuilds across the county — with sustained calls to fully fund Damascus High School, restore Wootton High funding or feasibility study, and address life‑safety problems at Cold Spring and Twinbrook.
Montgomery County residents used a Feb. 10 public hearing on the FY27–32 Capital Improvements Program to press the County Council for immediate investments in aging school buildings and life‑safety repairs.
Monique Ashton, speaking for Rockville’s mayor and council, cited the county’s recent response to a school shooting at Wootton and urged the council to use its budget authority to fund major projects at Wootton High, Twinbrook Elementary (Tumbrick) and Meadowhall Elementary. She opposed permanently converting Wootton into a holding school or relocating it to the Crown Farm campus, and asked the council to fund a Wootton renovation instead.
Parents and community leaders from Damascus made a sustained push for a full rebuild of Damascus High School. Jen Schneider, a Damascus alum and parent, said the community has watched new housing and development arrive while the 75‑year‑old high school remained unchanged and unsafe. Rachel Fitzpatrick, PTA president at Woodfield Elementary, cited MCPS facility condition index data that ranked Damascus among the worst in the county and warned that boundary options could add 700 students to the campus without adequate space or safe systems.
Student testimony underscored day‑to‑day problems. Audrey Remsnyder, a Damascus tenth grader, described leaking ceilings, plumbing failures, pests and classrooms with inconsistent temperatures; a fourth grader, Minnie Remsnerter, said bathrooms sometimes do not work and students have seen cockroaches. Multiple speakers urged the council to fully fund the Damascus project now rather than delay it again.
Speakers representing other clusters asked the council to prioritize urgent repairs countywide. Marissa Valeri (Rockville city council) described decades‑old plumbing and mold at Twinbrook Elementary and framed investment as an equity issue for a high‑poverty school. Takoma Park Mayor Talisha Searcy urged full replacement funding for Piney Branch Elementary, citing failing HVAC and plumbing. Representatives for Cold Spring Elementary and Silver Spring schools warned that open‑concept layouts, failing HVAC and mold create health and security risks; several parents reported students sheltering in closets during a lockdown and urged continued inclusion of Cold Spring in the CIP.
The recent shooting at Wootton amplified calls for action. Brian Raven, serving as Wootton PTSA president, and other Wootton cluster speakers said Wootton’s FCI scores and deferred maintenance constitute life‑safety risks; some parents urged reinstating a Student Resource Officer program and asked the council to fund either a feasibility study or full modernization rather than relocation.
County advocates and PTA leaders also urged creative financing to tackle system‑wide backlogs. Kathy Stocker (MCCPTA area vice president) suggested targeted bonding for HVAC backlogs and urged better, more current data to drive CIP prioritization.
The hearing produced no formal vote; council members will consider public testimony as they review the FY27–32 CIP and related bonding options in the weeks ahead.
