Time to preview the plan
Anne Arundel school redistricting for north county clusters nears public comment phase
Members of the public will have an opportunity Monday and again on Oct. 16 to better understand the first of two redistricting plans under consideration by the Anne Arundel County Board of Education.
Public comment will be allowed only at the Oct. 16 meeting.
In July, Superintendent Mark Bedell presented a recommendation for the first phase of the redistricting process — a proposal that would redraw school boundaries at 48 schools, establish districts for two new schools and move all schools in the county’s six northernmost clusters under 100% capacity.
The recommendation centers on creating boundaries for Old Mill West High School and West County Elementary School while balancing enrollments across schools in the Chesapeake, Glen Burnie, Meade, North County, Northeast, and Old Mill clusters.
Enrollment in the northern part of the county was 41,000 students in 2022 and is expected to increase to more than 47,000 by 2031, according to Matthew Stanski, AACPS chief operating officer.
Under Bedell’s original plan, students entering the 12th grade for the 2024-25 school year would have the option to remain at the high school they are currently assigned, rather than move because of redistricting. However, they would be required to register as a “legacy student” and to provide their own transportation to school.
During the Aug. 23 board meeting, members voted unanimously to put forward another plan that will grant students who will be juniors for the 2024-25 school year the same “legacy student” option.
That motion was put forth by District 1 representative Gloria Dent and was a response to a question from District 5 representative Dana Schallheim, who said she had heard from northern district parents who wondered if juniors could be included in the “legacy student” definition because they were in leadership positions in their school clubs and extracurricular activities.
Once the public comment period ends, the board is set to adopt a Phase 1 redistricting plan by Nov. 15. That plan would go into effect in August 2024.
Redistricting will start in the northern part of the county because of higher enrollment patterns projected there over the next 10 years.
The second phase of redistricting will begin in 2025 and will target the southern portion of the county, including the Severna Park, Crofton, Annapolis, South River, Southern, Broadneck and Arundel feeder systems.
The school system posted an online tool, located at aacps. org/redistricting, that allows users to evaluate assessments of two potential redistricting scenarios and the statistical impact on student capacity and enrollment.
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.
Monday’s briefing will be at 6 p.m. in the board room of the Parham Building, 2644 Riva Road in Annapolis. It is open to the public and will be streamed live on the school system’s YouTube channel and on AACPS-TV.