A teacher and several parents from Argyle Middle School in Silver Spring urged members of the Montgomery County Board of Education (BOE) Thursday to build a new school “that prioritizes safety, high-quality air, and ample space for effective learning.”
About 10 parents attended the BOE meeting and held up signs stating “Equity” and “Our Students Deserve Better.”
During the public comments section of the meeting, computer science teacher Justin Fauntroy said there was “an urgent need” for a new building, adding, “Air quality is a significant concern here. The school was built with an open floor plan, but as walls were added over time, the HVAC system was left unchanged, rendering it ineffective.”
The result is “excessively high room temperatures, which have negatively impacted student health and attendance,” he said. It also affects students’ “cognitive engagement.”
Other issues include the placement of the gym above six classrooms, creating distracting, loud noise and a health room that is not ADA compliant.
Also, Fauntroy said, there are “frequent power outages in classrooms due to overloaded circuits” and door locks that don’t function.
The building was constructed in 1971. At that time, it was designed for 600 students but now houses 86o, according to Fauntroy. It was renovated in 1993. The roof was worked in 2022.
According to Superintendent Dr. Thomas Taylor’s proposed Fiscal Year 2026 Capital Budget and Amendments to the FY 2025–2030 Capital Improvements Program, Argyle Middle School exceeds capacity, but “it does not meet the threshold of 150 seats or more by the end of the six-year planning period.”
Therefore, MCPS will monitor enrollment and consider adding relocatable classrooms when needed.
