Initial Proposals Unveiled Next Week

Frequently asked questions were answered in a nearly two hour long presentation on October 28th by a panel of experts. Questions were sorted into more than a dozen categories covering topics like enrollment data, school capacity and construction, and how redistricting impacts might affect school offerings. The presentation was recorded and is available on the St. Mary’s County Public Schools YouTube page.

Community engagement has been strong so far. More than 20,000 hits on the redistricting website, over 60,000 interactions on Facebook, and nearly 3,500 submissions for the first community survey speak to the level of community involvement. Kia St. Louis, from Cannon Design, said the “community has used [the survey] quite well.”

Kimberly Howe, Director of Capital Planning, stressed that the school system’s current enrollment does not justify construction of a new school. Funding for construction is split between the State and county. However, funding from the State comes with a requirement for the new school to be near capacity when complete. Only Leonardtown High School is well over capacity right now, with Great Mills operating at capacity and Chopticon under capacity. Those high schools can’t be expanded, as they were two decades ago, to accommodate additional students due to site restrictions. Superintendent Scott Smith didn’t envision “another 9-12 high school for the next 15 years” because the county government would have to completely fund the $120 million cost.

Extracurriculars, athletics in particular, were a focus of numerous questions. Mike Watson, Chief Operating Officer covered the topic. Watson said athletics are offered based on interest at each school and capacity in the program. Those programs could change pending the results of redistricting, but alterations might be positive. Watson pointed to boys soccer as an example. At Chopticon, every student who tried out made the team. But at Great Mills and Leonardtown, where 60 or more kids tried out, only around 40 made the team. Balancing out student-athlete interest could open more opportunities.

On the topic of high schools, Superintendent Scott Smith said Leonardtown has been “over capacity for 15 years” while Chopticon has seen enrollment fall “due to shifting demographics.” Great Mills, Smith continued, is expected to run at capacity for the next seven years. Redistricting will help “balance out the high schools.” Smith reflected on establishing a STEM program at Great Mills, which over time has generated increased enrollment at the school. “The best scenario is to build a program and situate it in a building with falling enrollment,” Smith explained. The insinuation was Chopticon could benefit from the tactic. Additionally, the chance of programmatic offerings being the same at all high schools is greater with more even enrollment.

It’s vitally important for high school students to attend Community Forum 2 to provide “their lived experiences” Smith said. Those forums will be “the first time we’ll be talking about neighborhoods, streets, and homes.”

Questions about waivers also came up, specifically whether they would be available or if any students would be grandfathered into current school zones. Historically, Watson said, rising fifth, eighth, and twelfth graders were permitted to complete their time at their current school. But those students must find alternative means to get to school because bus routes will change with redistricting.

Tammy McCourt, Deputy Superintendent of Fiscal and Supporting Services, said no additional costs for transportation are anticipated because of redistricting. In other words, bus routes may change but will work within current funding levels. Any budget savings realized from redistricting would be from a closed school in areas like utilities and infrastructure maintenance. Staffing reductions for positions like principal, secretary, nurse, counselor, and building service worker would also reduce the budget.

At Community Forum 2, scheduled for November 12-14, initial redistricting recommendations and associated data will be presented by Cannon Design. Two sessions are scheduled each night at Carver Elementary on November 12, Chopticon High on the 13th, and the Tech Center on the 14th. As of this writing, registrations are low and if space is not filled the two sessions could combine into one at each location. Participants must register for one of the meetings by Friday, November 7th at 4pm on the SMCPS Redistricting website.

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SMCPS Redistricting Update

Bradley Brooke Development