Many neighbors are upset by the recent Superintendent's Recommendation for the Woodward Boundary Study released on February 5, 2026. The Recommendation for Woodward does not appear to take into account community input, does not follow the Board’s policy, and creates substantial inequity and lack of parity between Woodward High School and Walter Johnson High School.

We ask for community members who agree to please see below for the letter that will be submitted to the Board of Education with our concerns and suggested changes.  The letter and list of names will be submitted to members of the Board in order for the members to review and consider a new map prior to their community hearing on February 24, 2026.  

Please also cut and paste this letter and send to the Board Members: Graciela_Rivera-oven@mcpsmd.org, Brenda_Wolff@mcpsmd.org, Rita_M_Montoya@mcpsmd.org, Karla_Silvestre@mcpsmd.org, Laura_M_Stewart@mcpsmd.org, Julie_Yang@mcpsmd.org, Natalie_Zimmerman@mcpsmd.org, Anuva_C_Maloo@mcpsmd.org, BOETestimony@mcpsmd.org 

 

To the MCPS Board of Education:

The parents and community members signing this letter ask that the Board reject the Superintendent’s Recommendation for the Woodward Boundary Study. We ask that the Board and MCPS consider Policy FAA factors including utilization, school stability and demographics and develop an option that would balance these factors between Woodward High School and Walter Johnson High School. The Superintendent’s Recommendation makes these FAA factors more disparate between the two schools than any other option previously presented.

The Walter Johnson (WJ) Cluster has consistently advocated for parity between Walter Johnson High School and Woodward High School. This includes parity of the two schools in FAA factors of utilization, school stability, geography and demographics, as well as academic programming, athletics, and extracurricular opportunities. This request for parity has been a central expectation since the approval to reopen a new high school less than one mile from Walter Johnson High School.

In particular, we do not see equity or parity in the projected facility utilization rates in the recommendation presented.  Projected utilization under prior options A-G reflected substantially smaller disparities between the two schools compared to the new recommendation, which has Woodward at 91.3% utilization and Walter Johnson at 77.7% utilization. These figures are being calculated WITHOUT the many construction projects underway or permitted in the Woodward catchment area. If this new recommendation by the Superintendent is implemented, the brand new Woodward HS could open at near capacity while neighboring Walter Johnson HS would remain under capacity.  

Utilization Data: 

Superintendent Recommendation  Woodward: 91.2%    WJ 77.7%  Difference: 13.5%

A   Woodward  79.9%   WJ 71.5%  Difference 8.4%
B   Woodward  73.8%   WJ 77.7%  Difference 3.9%
C   Woodward  81.3%   WJ 70.2%  Difference 11.1%
D   Woodward  86.2%   WJ 82.6%  Difference 3.6%
E    Woodward  80.9%  WJ 70.6%  Difference 10.3%
F    Woodward  90.8%  WJ 78.1%  Difference 12.7%
G   Woodward  80.9%   WJ 70.6%  Difference 10.3%

In addition, the Superintendent’s Recommendation would divide established peer groups from elementary and middle schools. He acknowledges that elementary school split articulation is not ideal, and should be avoided unless geography and utilization are negatively affected. Our community’s expectation, as reflected in the previously presented options, was that the entirety of the Tilden Middle School, which is matriculated by Farmland ES, Luxmanor ES, Garrett Park ES would populate Woodward High School with an additional elementary school. This can be accomplished without negatively affecting geography or utilization. 

Dr. Taylor stated that he made a recommendation close to option B.  In this option, he states that “high school FARMs and EML changes are generally within single-digit points”.  When reviewing option B and the data, this is simply not true. The Walter Johnson High school currently has a 17.8% FARMs rate.  Under the current recommendations, Woodward HS will have a FARMs rate of 35.7%.  Future Woodward HS students include about half of the current Walter Johnson student population.  These students will experience a high school with an  increase of 17.9% FARMs rate (not single digits) which requires different resources.  Alternatively, Walter Johnson High School students will experience a decrease of FARMs rate.  The difference in FARMS rates between these two schools under this option is 20.4%.  Previously, the highest discrepancy in numbers of FARMs rates in options A-G was 13.1% in option B.  We ask the board of education members, how is this equitable? Why is the Superintendent picking an option that does not take into account demographics at WJ?  Why did we pay a company over 1 million taxpayer dollars to create fair maps by using a policy, go through a painstakingly stressful process of options and public feedback,  and now we are last minute presented with an option that does not have parity between the two schools, does not take into account Policy FAA factors? 

We, the undersigned, ask every member of the Board of Education to reject the Superintendent’s Recommendation and instead develop boundaries that create parity between Woodward High School and Walter Johnson High Schools in consideration with the Policy FAA factors.

 

 

This petition is supported by  Deborah Kornbluth Berger, LCA,  GFCA, NFCA, Luxmanor PTA, Farmland PTA