A standing-room-only crowd almost entirely composed of supporters of Monocacy Elementary School filled a Board of Education public hearing Thursday night to plead their case for not shutting down the school.

Montgomery County Public Schools Superintendent Jerry D. Weast announced Oct. 23 his recommendation to close the Dickerson school and consolidate it with Poolesville Elementary by August due to projected enrollment declines at both schools. The Board of Education is scheduled to vote on whether to approve the proposed procedures for closure and consolidation Nov. 19.

"A decision of this magnitude demands the supporting details receive an in-depth examination to ensure there is a justifiable benefit to the Poolesville cluster as well as to the Montgomery County Public Schools," testified Poolesville Commission Vice President Jerry Klobukowski. "...The proposed timeline is unrealistic, unreasonable and insufficient to allow for a thorough examination of the closure rationale and other alternatives that would permit the school to remain open."

Parents said they are not being given enough time to participate in the process and the school system has not provided sufficient evidence of why the school should be closed.

Parents said they are concerned Poolesville Elementary could become overcrowded with students from Monocacy and because of future development in Poolesville, which school planners did not factor into the cluster's six-year enrollment projections.

They also asked how the superintendant could be certain Poolesville Elementary could accommodate another school's worth of children when the physical condition and educational program capability of the facility has never been assessed.

Boardmember Laura Berthiaume asked whether Poolesville Elementary would be a priority if and when it needs a four- to six-room addition as anticipated in Weast's recommendation.

"We'll have to get back to you on that because it will depend on how overcrowded other schools are at the time," said Joseph Lavorgna, acting director of facilities management.

Nineteen of the 27 people who testified at Thursday's public hearing, not including cluster coordinators, spoke on behalf of Monocacy. No one supported the school's closure.

The Markoff family of Calleva Outdoor Adventures in Dickerson donated the use of a bus to bring residents of the rural upcounty to the hearing. People donning Monocacy's colors of blue and white held signs throughout the hearing that read "Please let me attend MES" and "Four schools, one community, we are Poolesville."

"In my heart, my favorite memories are having fun with my friends and my teachers," testified Monocacy third-grader Megan Roldan. "Monocacy Elementary School gives you a great education. Please don't close our school."