Ready to sign the petition and take action? Scroll to the bottom for five things you can do today, including guidance on how to complete the MCPS boundary study survey. Here's the PES Parent Toolkit to help you get started!

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We respectfully urge the Montgomery County Board of Education to reject boundary proposals that would remove Potomac Elementary School from the Winston Churchill High School cluster when current data shows no capacity-driven need for this change and when doing so contradicts the established policy framework that has guided MCPS boundary decisions for decades.

The case is straightforward:

• Board Policy FAA explicitly requires stability absent substantial capacity-driven needs
• Potomac Elementary is a 4 mile drive from Churchill vs. a 5.8 mile drive from Wootton—a 45% increase in driving distances, which would significantly burden local traffic patterns
• The proposed change serves no documented policy purpose under any of the four FAA factors

When all four Board Policy FAA factors support maintaining current articulation—and no compelling countervailing need exists—Policy FAA requires stability.

This is not an ask for special treatment. This is a demand for policy compliance.

1. HISTORICAL CONTEXT: WHY THIS BOUNDARY RELATIONSHIP EXISTS

Winston Churchill High School was established in 1964 as Potomac High School—built to serve the Potomac community as it grew in the 1960s. Though renamed in 1965, the school's boundaries were drawn around what remains Potomac's zip code (20854) and have served this community for over 60 years.

This is not an arbitrary administrative boundary. Churchill's location, its original purpose, and its six-decade relationship with Potomac reflect intentional planning to serve a defined geographic community: Potomac. The articulation pattern between Potomac Elementary and Churchill represents institutional continuity spanning three generations of families.

Boundary relationships this established deserve stability absent compelling justification for change. MCPS has consistently honored long-standing feeder patterns when capacity allows—providing the predictability that allows communities to build the networks, partnerships, and institutional knowledge that support student success over time.

We are not asking MCPS to create a new relationship. We are asking MCPS to preserve a 60-year-old one when its own policy framework supports it.

2. POLICY COMPLIANCE: BOARD POLICY FAA REQUIRES STABILITY WHEN CAPACITY ALLOWS

Board Policy FAA identifies four equal factors for boundary decisions:

1. Student demographics and diversity
2. Geographic proximity
3. Stability of school assignment over time
4. Facility utilization

No factor outweighs the others. Boundary decisions must balance all four, and when capacity constraints do not necessitate change, Policy FAA directs MCPS to prioritize stability.

A summary of the four factors, as they relate to our community, is below. 

Facility Utilization: Updated figures suggest Churchill’s projected enrollment rates are trending downwards. Moreover, analysis of MCPS Capital Improvement Program (CIP) reports reveals a consistent pattern since 2020 of overestimated enrollment projections, with actual enrollment falling below even the lowest projected figures. Superintendent Taylor noted in an interview on October 15th, 2025 that the decline in enrollment is “significant” and projected a decline of over 6,000 students over the next six years. This demonstrates that capacity pressures across the system—Churchill included—have been systematically overstated.

The imminent opening of Crown High School in 2027 is specifically designed to relieve pressure on mid-county high schools The question is not whether some adjustments may eventually be needed system-wide, but whether disrupting Potomac Elementary's 60-year articulation pattern is an appropriate or necessary solution to address Churchill's enrollment, particularly given Crown's intended purpose and timeline.

Geographic Proximity: Board Policy FAA's proximity factor considers the distance from students' homes to their assigned schools. For Potomac Elementary families, individual circumstances vary, but the majority of families in our established and defined community are significantly closer to Churchill. Potomac Elementary, the center and axis of our community, is a 4 mile drive from Churchill vs. a 5.8 mile drive from Wootton—a 45% increase in average driving distances, which would significantly burden local traffic patterns. 

Diversity: The proposed shift to Wootton would move students with similar demographics to a high school that already mirrors those demographics, failing to advance meaningful integration. 

Stability: As previously stated, Potomac Elementary and Churchill share a 60-year articulation pattern with multi-generational family connections, representing maximum stability. 

The proposed options prioritize system-wide facility utilization while inadequately weighing the other three factors for our community. This is not balanced consideration—it is selective application of policy that contradicts FAA's requirement to weigh all four factors equally.

Before disrupting 60 years of continuity, MCPS must demonstrate:

• Clear evidence of projected capacity constraints at Churchill despite enrollment declines and a documented history of over-projection
• Why Crown High School's opening cannot provide the relief needed for county-wide capacity issues
• Why more measured boundary adjustments cannot achieve balanced utilization
• How the proposed changes satisfy all four Policy FAA factors, not just facility utilization

MCPS must follow its own policy framework and apply all four factors as Policy FAA requires.

3. THE CAPACITY ARGUMENT HAS NOT BEEN ADEQUATELY JUSTIFIED

As stated above, updated figures suggest Churchill’s projected enrollment rates are trending downwards and capacity constraints across the full county have been systematically over-stated. More critically, Crown High School opens in August 2027 specifically to relieve pressure on mid-county high schools.

MCPS has not provided an analysis of how Crown's opening will affect Churchill's enrollment, justification for why changes must happen before Crown's impact can be assessed, or an explanation of how this proposal advances all four Policy FAA factors when proximity is neutral and diversity benefits appear minimal.

We are not arguing that boundary adjustments will never be needed. We are arguing that MCPS has not demonstrated why Potomac Elementary—with its 60-year articulation pattern and families who have built their lives around this assignment—should be reassigned before Crown High School provides its intended relief.

Before disrupting Potomac Elementary's established pattern, MCPS must explain:

• Why changes must occur before Crown High School's impact can be assessed
• How this proposal satisfies all four Policy FAA factors when proximity is either neutral or negative for most families and diversity benefits appear limited
• Why the stability factor should be subordinated to facility utilization in this instance

4. COMMUNITY NETWORKS: ESTABLISHED RELATIONSHIPS PROVIDE REAL VALUE

Over decades, Potomac Elementary families have built meaningful relationships with Churchill High School staff, administrators, PTA leadership, counselors, and support resources. These connections create important continuity for families navigating middle and high school transitions—particularly families who rely on:

• Translator services and ESOL coordinators who know their children
• Special education staff familiar with IEP histories
• Guidance counselors who have supported students through middle school
• PTA networks that provide mentorship and community support

Parent volunteers, mentorship programs, school partnerships, and institutional knowledge built over years create a foundation that supports student success.

Disrupting these networks means vulnerable families must rebuild support systems from scratch—learning new staff, new procedures, new resources, new advocacy channels—all while their children are navigating the academic and social challenges of high school.

When capacity allows continuity, preserving these networks serves equity by protecting the families who depend on them most.

5. STUDENT WELL-BEING: STABILITY PROTECTS MENTAL HEALTH AND ACADEMIC SUCCESS

The American Academy of Pediatrics identifies educational continuity as a protective factor for youth mental health—particularly for students still recovering from COVID-19 disruptions to routines, peer relationships, and learning during critical developmental years.

When students progress together from elementary through high school, they build:

• Trust and belonging that creates psychological safety for learning
• Peer relationships that provide social support during adolescence
• Familiarity with school systems that reduces anxiety during transitions
• Connections with educators who know their strengths, challenges, and growth over time

The split articulation proposed in two of the four proposed options would fracture these protective networks. For students with anxiety, learning differences, or who experienced significant pandemic-related challenges, losing established peer groups and support systems can undermine academic confidence, engagement, and mental health.

Stability is not a luxury—it is a foundation for student success. When capacity data shows that stability is possible, choosing disruption over continuity contradicts MCPS's own wellness commitments.

Stability is also something that MCPS has already taken away from our children once before, when they were bussed to Radnor Holding Center against strong community objections. We object to any further attempts to destabilize our children's school experience when no documented necessity exists. 

6. WHAT WE SUPPORT: REASONABLE, NECESSARY, AND EQUITABLE SOLUTIONS

We recognize MCPS must make difficult decisions to balance enrollment across the county. We support boundary adjustments when capacity data necessitates them and when they are implemented equitably across all clusters.

We are not asking for special treatment. We are asking for:

• Consistent application of Board Policy FAA, which requires equal consideration of stability, proximity, diversity, and capacity
• Transparency in how boundary decisions advance stated equity and diversity goals
• Data-driven decision-making that demonstrates necessity, not just preference

If enrollment balancing is genuinely needed, we propose MCPS consider:

• Gradual phase-in options that allow current elementary students to complete their education in established pathways while future cohorts transition
• Conducting an elementary school boundary study to minimize transitions and split articulations

We are engaged partners in problem-solving. But solutions must be grounded in policy compliance, equity analysis, and demonstrated necessity—not implemented when capacity data shows they are avoidable.

OUR REQUESTS TO THE MONTGOMERY COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION

We respectfully request that the Montgomery County Board of Education:

1. Reject all options that reassign Potomac Elementary from Winston Churchill High School
2. Publicly release:
   • Accurate enrollment projections for Churchill HS, Wootton HS, and Richard Montgomery HS through 2030
   • Equity impact analysis for all proposed options, specifically addressing effects on students with IEPs and ESOL learners
   • Diversity impact analysis showing projected demographic outcomes for each high school under each proposal
3. Provide clear explanation for:
   • How the proposed changes comply with all four factors in Board Policy FAA
4. Consider alternative approaches that honor established articulation patterns and the integrity of our school community when capacity allows

Conclusion: Follow Policy, Protect Students, Sustain Our Strong Community

The case is straightforward:

• Winston Churchill High School operates without significant projected capacity issues
• Board Policy FAA directs MCPS to prioritize stability when capacity allows
• Vulnerable student populations will be disproportionately harmed by unnecessary disruption
• Geographic proximity principles are not being applied consistently
• The diversity rationale has not been demonstrated with data

We are not asking MCPS to ignore capacity challenges. We are asking MCPS to follow its own policy when capacity challenges are minimal and diminishing. 

When MCPS establishes clear policies but doesn't consistently apply them, it erodes trust in planning processes, undermines policy legitimacy, creates arbitrary outcomes, and generates uncertainty—eliminating hard-won confidence in the public school system.

We are not asking for privilege. We are asking for protection of the students who depend most on educational continuity—students with IEPs, ESOL learners, and children still recovering from pandemic disruption.

We are asking for what Board Policy FAA already requires: that when capacity allows stability, stability should be preserved.

Our children deserve boundary decisions grounded in policy compliance, equity analysis, and demonstrated necessity—not implemented when data shows they can be avoided.

Thank you for your consideration of our community's concerns and our students' needs.

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Dear PES Families and Petitioners,

Thank you for adding your voice to our petition. Your support helps protect the cohesion of the Potomac Elementary–Churchill community.

Here’s what you can do today to strengthen our shared advocacy:

1. Complete the MCPS Community Survey. Share your feedback directly with decision-makers. While four options are presented in MCPS’s latest proposal, we encourage you to write in Option E in the notes/comments field—urging MCPS to keep Potomac Elementary within the Churchill Cluster.
2. Attend and speak at Board of Education meetings. Hearing directly from families and community members makes a powerful impact. See our Parent Toolkit for a schedule and talking points!
3. Contact the Board of Education. Email all members to share your perspective and emphasize the importance of keeping Potomac Elementary in the Churchill Cluster. You’ll find a draft email and contact information in our Parent Toolkit.
4. Spread the word. Share this petition with your neighbors and social networks to help us gather more signatures and support. See our Parent Toolkit for guidance.
5. Write an impact statement. Personal stories from families and students show why stability and continuity matter.

Together, we can ensure that Potomac Elementary remains part of the Churchill community our children know and love.