Opinion: Closing downtown Silver Spring’s neighborhood schools is a mistake

As a deeply concerned Silver Spring resident, I urge the Montgomery County Board of Education and the County Council to reject Superintendent Thomas Taylor’s proposal to close Silver Spring International Middle School (SSIMS) and Sligo Creek Elementary School (SCES). The plan – which involves redistributing SSIMS students to other middle schools, building a new SCES, and converting the current school buildings into a holding school – is both misguided and unfair, and it would do lasting harm to our neighborhood schools and families.

For years, SSIMS and SCES have been overlooked for capital improvements. Parents and community members have consistently advocated for MCPS to renovate these schools—but never to close them. Now, instead of making long-overdue investments, the district is proposing closing both schools and using the campus to benefit other communities’ renovation timelines. To frame this as a “meaningful investment in Silver Spring” is manipulative and condescending. Closing our walkable neighborhood schools is not an investment; it’s an abdication of responsibility.

The transportation implications alone are deeply troubling. Downtown Silver Spring is already dense and congested. Turning SSIMS and SCES into holding schools would bring in buses from all over the county, while busing neighborhood students elsewhere. This is a step backward in terms of safety and sustainability. Bus traffic presents more risks to students than train traffic from the upcoming Purple Line ever could. Locating schools in transit-oriented, walkable communities should be seen as a model, not a drawback...

https://bethesdamagazine.com/2025/10/25/opinion-closing-downtown-silver-springs-schools-is-a-mistake/