“No politician will ignore an issue that could affect more than 7,000 votes.”
The BOE voted 7-1 to approve Modified Option H on March 26, 2026. CEPA has filed for a legal stay with the Maryland State Superintendent. Contact these officials to demand independent oversight of MCPS decisions.
County Council Members
The County Council approves the MCPS operating budget — over 50% of all county spending. They must provide real oversight, not rubber-stamp MCPS decisions. Ask them to scrutinize the Wootton closure and demand transparency before approving any related funding.
| Name | Role | |
|---|---|---|
| Natali Fani-González | President / District 6 | Councilmember.Fani-Gonzalez@montgomerycountymd.gov |
| Marilyn Balcombe | Vice President / District 2 | Councilmember.Balcombe@montgomerycountymd.gov |
| Shebra Evans | At-Large | Councilmember.Evans@montgomerycountymd.gov |
| Andrew Friedson 1 | District 1 | Councilmember.Friedson@montgomerycountymd.gov |
| Evan Glass | At-Large | Councilmember.Glass@montgomerycountymd.gov |
| Will Jawando | At-Large | Councilmember.Jawando@montgomerycountymd.gov |
| Sidney Katz | District 3 | Councilmember.Katz@montgomerycountymd.gov |
| Dawn Luedtke 2 | District 7 | Councilmember.Luedtke@montgomerycountymd.gov |
| Kristin Mink | District 5 | Councilmember.Mink@montgomerycountymd.gov |
| Laurie-Anne Sayles | At-Large | Councilmember.Sayles@montgomerycountymd.gov |
| Kate Stewart | District 4 | Councilmember.Stewart@montgomerycountymd.gov |
1 Friedson has publicly supported Save Wootton. Read his statement →
2 Luedtke acknowledged community advocacy for Wootton and called on MCPS to produce clear plans for school capital projects. Facebook post →
State Delegation
While the Board of Education draws boundary lines and the County Council controls the capital budget, the Maryland General Assembly is the ultimate source of statutory authority over MCPS. State legislators write the laws that govern public schools — and they can apply pressure that county officials cannot.
This issue is now on Annapolis’s radar. At a February 2026 Senate committee hearing, Sen. Cheryl Kagan publicly criticized MCPS for “really bad estimates” and called for municipalities like Rockville — which have their own zoning authority but no control over schools — to be at the table when enrollment and capacity decisions are made.
Contact your state senators and delegates. Ask them to ensure the State Board of Education provides meaningful review of the BOE decision — not a rubber stamp. MCPS consumes over half of the county budget and needs proper legislative oversight.
Sen. Kagan (District 17) has publicly opposed the closure, criticizing MCPS data and advocating for municipal input in school planning decisions.
| Name | Chamber | District | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sen. Cheryl C. Kagan 1 | Senate | 17 | Cheryl.Kagan@senate.maryland.gov |
| Sen. Brian J. Feldman | Senate | 15 | brian.feldman@senate.maryland.gov |
| Sen. Nancy J. King | Senate | 39 | nancy.king@senate.maryland.gov |
| Del. Joseph Vogel | House | 17 | joe.vogel@house.maryland.gov |
| Del. Julie Palakovich Carr | House | 17 | julie.palakovichcarr@house.maryland.gov |
| Del. Ryan S. Spiegel | House | 17 | ryan.spiegel@house.maryland.gov |
| Del. David Fraser-Hidalgo | House | 15 | david.fraser.hidalgo@house.maryland.gov |
| Del. Lily Qi | House | 15 | lily.qi@house.maryland.gov |
| Del. Linda Foley | House | 15 | linda.foley@house.maryland.gov |
| Del. Gabriel Acevero | House | 39 | gabriel.acevero@house.maryland.gov |
| Del. Lesley J. Lopez | House | 39 | lesley.lopez@house.maryland.gov |
| Del. W. Gregory Wims | House | 39 | greg.wims@house.maryland.gov |
1 Sen. Kagan publicly criticized MCPS for “really bad estimates” at a Feb. 2026 Senate committee hearing and called for municipal input in school planning. Read the coverage → | Facebook statement →
Maryland State Board of Education
CEPA has filed a formal request for a stay with State Superintendent Carey Wright. The State Board has appellate authority over local board decisions. Contact them to urge meaningful independent review of the BOE’s decision to close Wootton.
Montgomery County is represented on the State Board by Samir Paul, Esq. and Nicole Murray-Lewis.
| Name | Role | Contact |
|---|---|---|
| Dr. Carey M. Wright | State Superintendent | carey.wright@maryland.gov |
| State Board of Education | All Members | stateboard.msde@maryland.gov |
Phone: (410) 767-0467 | MSDE Contact Form
Montgomery County Inspector General
The Office of the Inspector General investigates fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement in county government — including MCPS. If you believe the boundary decision process was flawed, file a complaint.
| Name | Role | Contact |
|---|---|---|
| Megan Davey Limarzi, Esq. | Inspector General | IG@montgomerycountymd.gov |
Hotline: 240-777-7644 | File a Complaint Online
County Executive
| Name | Role | Contact |
|---|---|---|
| Marc Elrich | County Executive | Contact Form |
For Reference: Board of Education
The BOE voted 7-1 on March 26, 2026 to approve Modified Option H. They are listed below for reference — contact the officials above to demand oversight of MCPS.
| Name | Role | |
|---|---|---|
| Grace Rivera-Oven | President / District 1 | Graciela_Rivera-oven@mcpsmd.org |
| Brenda Wolff | Vice President / District 5 | Brenda_Wolff@mcpsmd.org |
| Karla Silvestre | At Large | Karla_Silvestre@mcpsmd.org |
| Julie Yang | District 3 | Julie_Yang@mcpsmd.org |
| Rita Montoya | At Large | Rita_M_Montoya@mcpsmd.org |
| Laura Stewart | District 4 | Laura_M_Stewart@mcpsmd.org |
| Natalie Zimmerman | District 2 | Natalie_Zimmerman@mcpsmd.org |
| Anuva Maloo | Student Member | Anuva_C_Maloo@mcpsmd.org |
For Reference: MCPS Superintendent
Dr. Thomas Taylor recommended Modified Option H, which the BOE approved 7-1 on March 26, 2026. Contact your state and county representatives above instead.
| Name | Role | |
|---|---|---|
| Dr. Thomas Taylor | Superintendent | Thomas_W_Taylor@mcpsmd.org |