The Montgomery County school board advanced a major set of recommendations for campus upgrades after confronting a tense room of students and parents Thursday.

On one side of the board meeting room sat students holding posters that read, “Stop silencing Wootton.” On the opposite side of the aisle were families with signs saying, “Crown [high school] matters.”

The scene reflected some of the pressure points in Maryland’s largest school district as officials decide how to tackle desperately needed facility upgrades — across more than 230 buildings — with a limited pot of money.

Superintendent Thomas Taylor pitched a nearly $3 billion plan to fix up campuses. But he warned that even that massive figure accounts for only about half of the district’s need.

That means hard decisions. Although Taylor recommended rebuilds for several campuses, the aging Wootton High School campus was not on his list. He also asked the board to consider using the new Crown High School building as a “holding school” that could house students while their own campuses are under construction.

“Competing priorities are just that. They’re competing,” Taylor said.

During a Thursday night board meeting, teenagers who attend Wootton shared stories of mold spreading through locker rooms, hallways and bathrooms. They described wandering the campus, looking for a working toilet.

“We are not asking for luxury. We are asking for a school building that is safe, healthy and functional. And one where basic infrastructure doesn’t fail,” Wootton student Charlie Rollins told the school board.

Meanwhile, a 13-year-old girl who expected to spend her high school years in Crown’s new building asked board members to ensure that’s still the plan. The campus is set to open in August 2027.

“The brand-new school that was promised to the kids of Gaithersburg might be taken away because schools in other cities need to get fixed up,” Rose Kahn said. “This is totally unfair. The kids of Gaithersburg have waited a long time for this new school that we desperately need.”

Board President Julie Yang began the meeting by acknowledging the competing priorities. She said the night’s vote on the recommended Capital Improvements Program was not about choosing winners and losers.

“We share the same goal,” she said, “doing right by our children.”

School board vote

On Thursday night, the school board decided the direction it wants to take construction plans. It advanced the superintendent’s recommendations after lengthy discussion about how to prioritize heating systems versus athletic fields versus new buildings.

The vote is far from the end of the process. The county executive and County Council must next consider whether they can afford to sign off.

The district is likely to modify its plan when confronted with economic realities.

As it stands, the plan calls for several campus replacements, including for Damascus High School and a handful of elementary schools.

The district would also spend millions on systemwide projects to replace faulty HVAC systems, roofs and fire safety systems.

“None of this can happen fast enough,” the superintendent said.

Taylor has also pitched closing Silver Spring International Middle School, with the goal of converting the building into another holding school.

The school board will vote on whether to close SSIMS — along with how Crown High will be used — at a later date.

“This is not a done deal,” board member Laura Stewart said.