Parent urges MCPS to prioritize a Magruder High School rebuild

Katie Samsock, a Montgomery County parent and longtime Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) student, told a public comment session that Magruder High School needs a full rebuild after decades of deterioration.

Samsock said she grew up in MCPS and that multiple family members graduated from Montgomery County schools, including Richard Montgomery High School and Magruder High School. She described longstanding problems at Magruder—including stained and water-damaged ceiling tiles, chipped floors, missing ceiling tiles and bathroom stall doors that require manual lifting to close—and said the building’s 1969 construction date shows through in its condition.

Her remarks framed facility decisions as a matter of equity. Samsock recalled that Paint Branch High School received a rebuild in 2012 and said that sequence of repairs made some neighborhoods feel less valued. She told officials Magruder has gone longer without renovation despite being built around the same time as other county high schools.

Samsock said Magruder ranks worst in the county by the MCPS facility-condition index and urged officials not to pass over the school again. "Do not let this community down. Do not let these kids down. Give Magruder what it desperately needs, a clean, safe, and modern building where kids can focus on learning," she said.

No formal action or response from board or staff is recorded in the transcript. The public comment closed with Samsock’s appeal and a thank you. The next procedural step—whether school system staff will respond, update the capital improvements plan, or schedule a follow-up discussion—was not specified in the record.