SMCPS Redistricting Update
Consultant To Incorporate Board of Ed Feedback
With the first two rounds of community engagement complete, the Board of Education (BOE) considered several options from consultant Cannon Design during a December 10th redistricting worksession.
Cannon Design was given four priorities by the Board of Education at the beginning of the process: effective and efficient use of capital resources, optimized use of facilities, maximizing opportunities for student achievement, and relieving overcrowding. From there, Cannon collected community feedback to identify what was important to St. Mary’s County residents. Community input was then combined and analyzed with enrollment data and feeder patterns. This resulted in several options for elementary/middle school districts and, separately, options for high school districts.
Karin Bailey, board chair, said the purpose of the work session was for the BOE to “provide direction” about next steps and putting the “St. Mary’s County finesse” on a proposal. Superintendent Scott Smith noted strong community input about wanting “kids moving as a cohort group” between school levels. “Having that clean feeder pattern is what’s driving” the options, Smith said. There was also strong community interest in keeping neighborhoods together.
One option that recommends closing White Marsh Elementary was the center of much discussion. The school, built in 1956, was last renovated in 1999. Further improvements are needed within the next decade, but with costs ranging between $8-16M and little room to expand the building it's unlikely to happen. White Marsh should accommodate 400 students for the State to consider kicking in money for construction costs. The limited footprint makes that impossible.
If the school closes, the Board of Education has to make use of the space in another way or building ownership reverts to the Commissioners of St. Mary’s County. Potential savings for the school system’s annual budget total $1.26M, largely from the elimination of the non-instructional staff like the principal, building service, and counselors.
From the livestream
During the last budget cycle, two county commissioners “gave us very specific direction to evaluate everything and close schools because enrollment is declining,” Bailey noted. The unnamed commissioners were Randy Guy (R-At Large) and Mike Hewitt (R-District 2). Most BOE members said if White Marsh closed, the students should go to Lettie Dent, Mechanicsville, Dynard, Oakville, and Banneker. Any decisions should affect as few students as possible.
All three high schools are still over 100% capacity, even after redistricting, based on the options presented. Smith said the county’s Land Use & Growth Management department needed to examine the adequate public facilities ordinance (APFO) to determine if changes were needed. Local law requires the County Commissioners to review and update the APFO every two years, but no action has been taken for nearly a decade according to my research.
Leonardtown High is 400+ students over capacity, but community feedback encouraged options allowing students to finish their high school experience where they are. BOE members agreed with the sentiment. Rather than move hundreds of students between high schools next year, they suggested looking at rising 6th and 9th grade cohorts to phase-in new high school districts over the next few years. The board noted Chopticon is due for renovations beginning spring 2026. Transferring hundreds of students there during that process may not be the most ideal choice.
Looking ahead, the Board also suggested assigning undeveloped tracts of land to certain school districts to prepare for the future. There's a potential of four to five thousand new homes in the county over the next decade or more, with many of them in central St. Mary’s. Places like Leonardtown, Hollywood, and California seeing additional development would make Leonardtown High overcrowded again. Districtingland now would help mitigate that outcome.
Over the next month, Cannon Design will work to incorporate the BOE’s guidance. The remainder of the process unfolds through April 2026:
January 14: Cannon Design presents proposals to the Superintendent and School Boundary Realignment Committee;
February 4: Board of Education work session with Cannon Design to review the Superintendent’s recommended redistricting plan and provide feedback;
February 18: Board of Education (meeting) public hearing on the redistricting proposal
March 6: Board of Education (meeting) provides final feedback to Cannon Design
March 18: Board of Education (meeting) finalizes redistricting plan and creates timeline for implementation;
April 30: Families impacted by redistricting are notified by this date.
—————
Informed St. Mary’s remains paywall free for everyone with your support. Donate here to support this important work.
