Schools

Proposal: 1,220 Students Could Attend New Schools as Part of Redistricting

Elkridge is not included in the redistricting plan since it will have a new elementary school to ease overcrowding.

A proposed change in Howard County school boundaries could result in a projected 1,220 elementary children attending new schools next August as part of a redistricting plan to ease overcrowding in southeastern schools and use available space in less crowded western schools.

The following elementary schools would see shifts in enrollment in August 2012, according to a proposal to be submitted to the school board Thursday by Howard County superintendent Sydney Cousin and other school planning officials:

  • Forest Ridge to Bollman Bridge 
  • Fulton to Dayton Oaks and Pointers Run
  • Gorman Crossing to Fulton
  • Guilford to Atholton and Hammond
  • Hammond to Fulton
  • Laurel Woods to Bollman Bridge and Forest Ridge 
  • Atholton to Hammond
  • Bollman Bridge to Guilford

According to the Howard County Times, this would be the first comprehensive redistricting since 2007, and it reflects changing population trends in the county.

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Many families are now flocking to the eastern portions of the county, where there are more affordable homes and multi-family housing, rather than to the more costly, larger homes in the western portion, housing experts told the Times.

The redistricting proposal is also designed to reduce overcrowding in the Route 1 corridor. Without it, Atholton and Laurel Woods elementary schools would exceed 110 percent capacity, according to the staff proposal.  

Find out what's happening in Elkridgewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

In addition to this redistricting proposal, Howard County is making plans for three new schools in the next decade: an  scheduled to open in August 2013; a middle school in the eastern portion of the county to serve parts of Elkridge, Jessup and Savage, expected to open in 2014 or 2015; and an elementary school for the end of the decade that would serve the north Savage area, said Joel Gallihue, manager of Howard County school planning.

Redistricting discussions for Elkridge elementary schools won’t start until 2012, to be implemented in 2013, when the new school is scheduled to be opened. Redistricting discussions for county middle schools will start in 2013 or 2014, he said.

School officials also said they want to avoid redistricting individual students more than once at any level.

The Howard County School Board will hear a presentation on the redistricting proposal at its  at the board office, 10910, Route 108 in Ellicott City. The first work session on the redistricting proposal will be 7:30 p.m. Nov. 3 and the first public hearing will be 7 p.m. Nov. 8.


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