MCPS Announces “Option O,” the Cladosporium Consortium

CLARKSBURG, Md. — Montgomery County Public Schools officials announced today “Option O,” a new preferred alternative in the ongoing debate over how to handle a group of dilapidated local high schools in need of massive repairs or replacement: Damascus, Magruder, Sherwood, and Wootton.

"Option O has what all the other alternatives were lacking, and that's parity. With Option O, the pain is spread equally throughout Montgomery County. Every community experiences the same loss, every kid gets on a bus, and every teacher has a 90-minute commute. It's Solomon-like," said MCPS Superintendent Thomas Taylor.

Option O creates a Cladosporium Consortium of mold-plagued schools sharing one massive campus at the former COMSAT Laboratories complex on I-270. Dubbed the "MCPS Clarksburg Premium Educational Outlets," it can easily accommodate up to 6,767 students, according to MCPS estimates. With over 124 rolling acres, the campus affords extensive opportunities for future expansion around the existing 527,000-square-foot main building.

“Option O is about equity, bringing mold-immunocompromised communities together on an equal footing, maximizing resources, and not alienating District 1 voters,” Board of Education member Julie Yang told The Leek.

At the Clarksburg Premium Educational Outlets Cladosporium Consortium, students will be able to select from dozens of top-name career readiness and trade programs, such as Auntie Anne’s Culinary Academy, the Brooks Brothers School of Public Policy, and the Old Navy ROTC School.

While families within the affected school clusters are mostly on board with Option O, some Wootton parents say their kids are entitled to better. "The Marlo building in Rockville can accommodate all four schools and Richard Montgomery, too. It's newer, closer, plus free cookies at lunch," Wootton parent and Rockville City Council member Adam Van Grack wrote in a three-volume, 987-page memo to Superintendent Taylor. He added that if Option O is approved, “we demand a dedicated HOV-8 lane on I-270 for the exclusive use of Wootton carpools.

MCPS officials say the concept the “Big Box School” has wide support. The Silver Spring Consortium—Blair, Einstein, Kennedy, Northwood, and Wheaton—is slated to occupy the 584,000-square-foot former Sears building in White Oak in 2027. The Northeast Consortium—Blake, Paint Branch, and Springbrook—will move into the Bedding Barn building in Burtonsville as soon as it completes its liquidation closing sale.