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The Walt Whitman High School PTSA is gearing up to vote on a proposal by T-Mobile to erect a 120-foot cell phone tower on the school's property.

The proposal would bring in $24,000 yearly – one third for Montgomery County Public Schools, one third for Whitman and one third for its cluster schools.

A group of about 200 parents and neighbors have come out in opposition to the proposal. The group argues there are unknowns when it comes to how the tower would affect the health of students and nearby residents, and says erecting the tower would be a commercialization of public land.

If the PTSA approves the proposal, it would move to the county Transmission Facilities Coordinating Group, which reviews the proposal and makes a recommendation. The proposal must then be heard by a county hearing examiner before the Board of Appeals makes a final ruling. Superintendent Jerry D. Weast must also sign off on the project.

Neither Principal Alan Goodwin or the school's PTSA have taken positions on the proposal. The meeting will take place 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at Walt Whitman High School, 7100 Whittier Blvd. in Bethesda. Community members can give statements either for or against the proposal, which will be followed by a vote by Walt Whitman PTSA members.