District begins remap phase

Public input sought for first part of 3-year plan to combat overcrowding

Anne Arundel County Public Schools on Wednesday launched the first phase of a three-year redistricting plan meant to alleviate overcrowding in county schools.

The school system posted a web tool, found at aacps.org/redistricting, that allows viewers to access assessments of two potential redistricting scenarios and the statistical impact on student capacity and enrollment.

This is a two-phase process that will first examine the following north county school feeder systems: Chesapeake, Glen Burnie, Meade, North County, Northeast and Old Mill. Redistricting will also draw boundaries for two new schools: Old Mill West High School and West County Elementary School, both set to be completed in 2024.

The plan was presented to Superintendent Mark Bedell and the board in early January at their “Redistricting Workshop.” Redistricting will start in the northern part of the county because of higher enrollment patterns over the next 10 years. The second phase, which will examine school boundaries in the remaining portion of the county, will begin in early 2025 after the northern process has concluded.

Enrollment in the northern part of the county was 41,000 students in 2022 and is expected to increase to just over 47,000 by 2031, according to chief operating officer for AACPS Matthew Stanski.

“We still are seeing growth in the southern part of the county, but not as rapid growth as we are seeing in [the] northern part of the county,” Stanski said.

The school system is seeking public input until May 31 on both scenarios in Phase 1.

“I want to be crystal clear that these potential scenarios are just that. They are in no way recommendations and should not be interpreted as such,” Bedell said. “We want comments on these potential scenarios for my team and I to take into consideration as I move toward making a recommendation to the Board this summer.”

Formal adoption of a redistricting plan will take place in November, after a two-month public hearing period in September and October.

The redistricting plan for the northern part of the county will be implemented in August 2024.

“At a time where we are still dealing with bus issues, teacher shortages and all the staffing things that have accompanied this school year, trying to redistrict 85,000 students from Brooklyn Park all the way down past Lothian would have simply put too much stress on the school system,” spokesperson Bob Mosier said.

The second phase of redistricting will begin in 2025 and target the southern portion of the county, including Severna Park, Crofton, Annapolis, South River, Southern, Broadneck and Arundel feeder systems.

The web tool for redistricting in the southern part of the county will be made available to the public in February 2025. The proposal would be implemented during the 2026-27 school year.