The PTAs wanted to hear from residents about the controversial plan to close the existing school on Seven Locks Road in favor of a replacement to be built a mile west on Kendale Road, said Julie Dobson, PTA president at Potomac Elementary.

"We need to hear what the public has to say," she said. "Then we'll take that back to our PTA boards and communities and possibly come up with resolutions to be sent to the county."

Ever since a May 14 decision by the Montgomery County Council to drop plans to modernize and expand the existing school on Seven Locks Road in favor of building a replacement, neighborhood leaders have cried foul.

A coalition of six neighborhood civic associations appealed that decision to the Maryland State Board of Education in August, saying they were excluded from the process and that the county school board violated its own policies on getting community input. However, the state board dismissed the appeal later that month saying the matter fell outside of its jurisdiction.

Meanwhile, the county is moving forward with design plans for the new school scheduled to open in September 2007 at a cost of $11.5 million.

The county said renovation of the old school would have cost an estimated $17.7 million. The replacement school will have a core capacity for 740 students, while the existing school, one of the smallest in the county, has 263 students and a capacity for 294.

The residents attending the forum had plenty to say about closing the existing school, and among the speakers it was eight to one against the plan.

Elizabeth Kaplan was the lone voice in favor of the plan. She wants a new school to replace the 40-year-old existing school attended by her two children.

"I just want to make it clear there is a contingent of people...in favor of building a new school," she said.

Most agreed that giving away any school property is unwise due to potential population growth in the area. The current Seven Locks site is especially valued, some said, as it is the area's only gathering place and green area within walking distance.

"It's insane to give away [school] land for any other purpose," said David Tiktinsky, the father of a Seven Locks Elementary student. "We'll never get a 10-acre lot again and if this school closes, the site is gone."

Others objected to building on Kendale Road, which they said sits in a flood plain, and because they expect the county to use the surplused site for affordable housing.

"This isn't a school issue, it's a politically driven issue," said Jay Weinstein, whose two children attend Seven Locks Elementary.

State Del. Jean B. Cryor (R-Dist. 15) of Potomac attended the meeting and told the several dozen participants that if they want to save the existing school, they needed to send a unified message to her fellow politicians at both the county and state level.

The county's plan only results in "pitting those in favor of a quality education [against] those who need affordable housing," Cryor said.

"This [existing] school site was never put on [the master plan] for housing. If you add to the traffic, you'll destroy this neighborhood," she said. "You become a power group...by saying we want what's best for our children, our neighborhood, our county."