When Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) Superintendent Thomas Taylor announced Oct. 13 that he would be recommending the closure of Silver Spring International Middle School (SSIMS) by 2031, many in the school community were shocked, parents said.

“Many of us felt completely blindsided,” Lora Elinoff, the parent of a SSIMS student, told Bethesda Today on Wednesday. “There’s lots of different views — some people feel very strongly that the building is in such bad shape that we do need a new building. But I don’t think anyone ever imagined we would just get a building taken away.”

In a 15-minute Zoom meeting Oct. 13, Taylor told the school community that he was planning to recommend the closure as part of the district’s proposed $2.7 billion 2027-2032 Capital Improvements Program (CIP). The school board is conducting hearings for Taylor’s proposal before voting on the proposal in November.

Read more at Bethesda Magazine.