APRE Opposes Relocating Wootton High School
ROCKVILLE – The contentious debate over the future of Thomas S. Wootton High School heated up again today when the Alliance for Potato Research & Education (APRE) formally petitioned the Montgomery County Board of Education to keep the school at its current location.
“On behalf of companies engaged in mashing, frying, and twice-baking throughout Montgomery County, we respectfully urge the Board to reject Option H,” wrote Dr. Russet B. Yukon, Chair of Potato Planning for APRE. “Our interest in this matter is grounded in long-range dietary planning, cafeteria coordination, and the delicate balance between school capacity and tater tot delivery.”
“The areas surrounding Wootton Parkway are among Montgomery County’s fastest-growing consumption zones, with thousands of approved and planned potato-based side dishes supported by adopted meal plans,” Yukon continued. “Converting Wootton High School into a holding facility would remove durable, permanent digestive capability from this area, especially at a time when teenage hunger is expected to increase.”
“When long-term starch assumptions can be altered to address short-term constraints, it becomes more difficult to plan and deliver breakfast hash browns in an orderly and timely manner,” Yukon warned. “These effects directly undermine Montgomery County’s stated goals of improving tuber affordability and removing social barriers to carbohydrate equity. Option H introduces a structural mismatch between school capacity planning and deep-fat fryolator scalability.”
"Relocating Wootton would devastate nearby communities. Option H disrupts the root system, stunts future harvests, and leaves behind perfectly good soil. Instead, use Crown like a temporary storage bin, aligning capital planting with enrollment blooms and preserving spud consumption capacity without unnecessary digging."
At press time, the Board of Education was reportedly bracing for an opposing letter from the Maryland Beans and Rice Council, who argue Gaithersburg and Crown are better suited to meet the future carbohydrate and protein demands of Wootton families.
Publisher’s Disclosure: Montgomery Leek is an affiliate member of APRE and serves on its Allium Advocacy and Education Committee.
