Community Engagement Session – 2025 Redistricting Process for School Year 2026-2027

Overview

We are here today to talk about the 2025 boundary review for implementation in school year 2026-2027. This meeting is part of the public engagement opportunity. Our intent is to share basic information about the process and highlight the scenarios that have been developed. I will also explain the next steps in this process and the other opportunities you will have to provide your feedback.

Agenda

Here is our agenda for this presentation:

We will have introductions and provide you with a list of individuals who are working on this process.

We will then go over the reasons why redistricting is being considered.

There are 3 scenarios that have been developed that will be discussed.

Lastly, I will review options for receiving additional feedback from the community.

Introductions

The Office of School Planning (or OSP) staff is led by Tim Rogers with additional support from Planning Analysts Galen Omerso and Jennifer Bubenko.

We will also have involvement from Operations Leadership. This will be the Chief Operating Officer, Cornell Brown, and the Executive Director of Capital Planning and Construction, Dan Lubeley.

Fred Hejazi from Citygate GIS is serving as a consultant.

Roles and Responsibilities

Citygate GIS, a Maryland firm with over 30 years of redistricting experience, was retained to provide objectivity and outside perspective to the process. They will also be facilitating the community engagement efforts, development of the Superintendent’s proposal, and deliberations by the Board of Education this fall.

The Office of School Planning was responsible for developing enrollment projections and the Boundary Review Report. The report will include boundary adjustment scenarios based on policy considerations and initial community input.

Community members are the key stakeholders throughout the entire process. We ask that they provide feedback at community meetings, complete online surveys, and provide testimony during the Board’s Public Hearings.

Following the Boundary Review Report, the Superintendent will consider feedback from the various forms of community engagement, alignment with policy, and the mission and vision of HCPSS. He will then make a recommendation to the Board of Education.

The Board of Education is the final decision-making body in this process. The Board will accept, reject, or modify the Superintendent’s recommendation. The Board will receive public testimony after the Superintendent’s recommendation and after any Board-approved preliminary plan(s) before any final action is taken.

Why Are We Here? Scope of the Process

On February 13, 2025, the Board of Education initiated the boundary review process outlined in Policy 6010 during calendar year 2025 to address certain schools that are outside the capacity utilization range of 90-110%.

The attendance area adjustment review will include Bryant Woods, Running Brook, Swansfield, Clemens Crossing, and Centennial Lane Elementary Schools.

These schools are either over the 110% utilization threshold or are adjacent to those schools and utilized below the target range.

Wilde Lake, Harper’s Choice, and Burleigh Manor Middle Schools and Centennial and Wilde Lake High Schools will also be included to allow adjustments to feeds.

The plan will be implemented for school year 2026-27.

Process Timeline

The implementation procedures for Policy 6010 outline a process that runs from January through November.

Community input was gathered and helped to inform the scenarios which will be reported to the Board of Education by staff.

We are now in the process of having additional community engagement to help inform the Superintendent’s recommendation in September.

The Board will consider this recommendation and any modifications or alternatives during the fall months.

A final plan for attendance area adjustments for school year 2026-27 will be adopted in November of 2025.

Community Engagement Opportunities

There are several engagement opportunities throughout the process.

This summer, the majority of the community engagement opportunities will occur.

The Superintendent will consider all of the feedback collected to date, along with policy and the HCPSS mission and vision.

This fall, the Board will conduct public hearings to receive verbal testimony. Written testimony may be submitted at that time as well.

Throughout the process, HCPSS will maintain a website with relevant data, materials, and links.

Decision Factors

Before we get into the parameters for consideration, I want to point to a section in the policy that is particularly important.

The Board, Superintendent/designee, and the Attendance Area Committee (AAC) will consider the impact of the following factors during the review or development of any school attendance area adjustment plan. While each of these factors will be considered, it may not be feasible to reconcile each and every attendance area adjustment with each and every factor.

So, as you are considering your thoughts about these parameters, remember that it is very unlikely that all of them can be completely satisfied for the entire plan.

Facility Utilization

The following lists some of the considerations in Policy 6010, starting with Facility Utilization.

Why Are We Considering Redistricting?

Bryant Woods ES & Centennial Lane ES are both over capacity and are forecasted to remain so for next decade.

Bryant Woods ES is expected to be more than 150% over capacity by 2035.

The other schools listed all share borders with the two schools and have available capacity that can be used to relive the over utilization

Current Elementary School Boundary (2025)

Starting with Centennial Lane, the current boundary has Fredrick Road on the north, then coming down on the west side along Centennial Lane includes most of the developments on the west side of Centennial Lane.

The southern border runs along Clarksville Pike. The east side runs primarily along Little Patuxent River. There is a section of Centennial Lane that is inside the St. Johns Lane ES boundary.

The Long Fellow ES boundary captures neighborhoods north and south of Clarksville Pike (Rt. 108). On the west side it borders Middle Patuxent River and on the east is Running Brook ES.

Running Brook has on the north Little Patuxent and Dorsey Search and the east side is 29.

Bryant Woods boundary is Merriweather, and most of the Columbia Mall area.

Swansfield boundary includes the area around the hospital, then extends down to 32.

Clemens Crossing is the northwest corner between 29 and 32.

Scenario 1 – Elementary Schools

Scenario 1 utilizes available capacity at Longfellow (LoES) to bring Centennial Lane (CLES) to approximately 102% utilization, reassigning neighborhoods along Route 108 and Homewood Rd., Centennial Lake, and along Old Annapolis Rd.

The Harper’s Forest apartments would be reassigned to Swansfield (SES), where it may be able to be included in the non-transported zone.

This neighborhood is also reassigned at the middle and high school levels to align feeds.

Bryant Woods (BWES) is brought within the target range through 2034 through reassigning neighborhoods to Clemens Crossing (CCES), Running Brook (RBES), and SES. CCES would receive the Jerry’s Drive and Woodleigh neighborhoods along Owen Brown Rd., while RBES would receive the Columbia Town Center (mall) immediate area.

College Square, Bluffs at Hawthorn, and Eaves Columbia apartments would be reassigned to SES.

To balance some of the impacts to SES, small areas along Watch Chain Way and at the southern end of Sunny Spring Lane are reassigned to CCES.

SES would spend SY2026-27 utilized above the target range, but would then decline to within target.

Current Middle School Boundary (2025)

Burleigh Manor Middle school includes the Centennial Lane boundary, including the section that is inside the St. Johns Lane boundary.

Harper’s Choice Middle school includes the boundaries for Long Fellow ES, and a large portion of Swansfield and Clements Crossing ES.

Wild Lake MS‘s boundary includes the boundaries of Running Brook and the majority of Bryant Woods ES and Clemens Crossing ES.

Scenario 1 – Middle Schools

In Scenario 1, the areas reassigned from Centennial Lane ES are reassigned at the middle school level to Wilde Lake MS

Current High School Boundary (2025)

In the current high school plan, Centennial High School includes a large portion of the Burleigh Mannor MS, and Wilde Lake HS incorporates students primarily from Harper’s Choice and Wilde Lake middle schools.

Scenario 1 – High Schools

In this scenario for high schools, the areas reassigned from Centennial Lane are reassigned to Wilde Lake HS.

Effects of Scenario 1

In all, an estimated 427 students are reassigned while bringing utilization at all included schools within or close to the target range.

No new small feeds are created, and one existing small feed is corrected.

Approximately 10 or fewer middle school students and 78 high school students who currently walk to Burleigh Manor MS (BMMS) and Centennial HS (CHS) would become bus riders to Harper’s Choice (HCMS) and Wilde Lake HS (WLHS).

There are impacts to the student demographics including race/ethnicity, percentage of students qualifying for direct certification, percentage of students scoring proficient on standardized tests, and English language development students. Some schools move closer to countywide values, while others move away.

None of the changes represent major demographic shifts.

The main strength of this option is the improved capacity utilization at Centennial Lane ES and Bryant Woods ES, with minimal impacts to feeds and demographics.

The considerations include transportation impacts and the number of students reassigned

Scenario 2 – Elementary Schools

Scenario 2 employs a different strategy for relieving Centennial Lane ES with the same strategy for relieving Bryant Woods. Instead of reassigning the neighborhoods along Old Annapolis Rd. from Centennial Lane to Longfellow ES (LoES), one neighborhood along Centennial Lane, including Century Dr., Carillon Dr., and Cross Country Dr., is reassigned to Longfellow ES.

This provides a greater reduction in utilization for Centennial Lane ES, bringing it to 100% throughout the ten-year period.

The reassignments involving the Downtown Columbia schools are the same as in Scenario 1.

Scenario 2 – Middle Schools

The areas reassigned from Centennial Lane ES are also reassigned at the middle and high school levels to Harper’s Choice MS and Wilde Lake HS.

Scenario 2 – High Schools

When comparing the current boundaries of Wilde Lake HS and Centennial HS with the proposed Scenario 2 boundaries, the boundary for Wilde Lake expands towards the Centennial HS building.

Effects of Scenario 2

Approximately 429 students would be reassigned.

The main strength of this is that it brings Centennial Lane closer to the target utilization range, while reassigning virtually the same number of students. It also balances utilization among the Downtown Columbia–area schools with minimal impacts to transportation, feeds, and demographic considerations.

The main consideration for this plan is the reassignment of walkers from Burleigh Manor MS and Centennial HS.

Scenario 3 – Elementary Schools

Scenario 3 provides less relief for Centennial Lane ES, while employing a unique approach for Bryant Woods ES, creating a non-contiguous boundary.

The neighborhoods around Centennial Lane, Route 108, and Homewood Rd. are reassigned from Centennial Lane ES to Longfellow ES.

This results in an expected utilization rate of 107% for Centennial Lane ES, which leaves it above the target utilization range.

In Downtown Columbia some of the reassignments are the same as Scenarios 1 and 2, with the main exception being reassignment of the Merriweather District to Swansfield ES.

This brings Bryant Woods ES and the surrounding elementary schools below or within the target range for all of the next ten years.

Scenario 3 – Middle Schools

When comparing the current boundaries of Wilde Lake MS, Harpers Choice MS and Burleigh Manor MS with the proposed Scenario 3 boundaries, the boundary for Harpers Choice expands towards the Burleigh Manor MS building.

Scenario 3 – High Schools

When comparing the current boundaries of Wilde Lake HS and Centennial HS with the proposed Scenario 3 boundaries, the boundary for Wilde Lake expands towards the Centennial HS building.

Effects of Scenario 3

Scenario 3 reassigns 267 students, with fewer reassignments needed at the middle and high school levels.

There are small improvements to feeds, and the only impact to non-transported areas are the approximately 49 high school students reassigned from Centennial HS to Wilde Lake HS who would now receive bus service to attend Wilde Lake HS.

The main strength of this plan is the reassignment of the area expected to see the most growth (Merriweather District) out of Bryant Woods ES, stabilizing enrollment at Bryant Woods ES within the target range.

The plan also reassigns fewer students overall. The main consideration is that Centennial Lane is not within the target range and will need additional measures (possibly including future boundary adjustments) to address high utilization.

Scenario Commenting Pages

To allow for community input, we have developed a comment page for each scenario. The commenting pages will allow you to specify a location on the map and place your comment at that location.

When you open the comment page, you will see a map of the scenario along with a table showing the current and projected utilization for each school.

The plan name will be on the upper right side of the window.

There is a help document as well as a video you can watch on how to use the commenting page.

You can return to the page containing the list of scenarios by clicking the plan catalog button.

The table at the bottom allows you to zoom to selected boundaries and toggle their visibility.

You can type in an address and locate it on the map to see which boundary it falls on.

To add a comment, click the add comment button, then click on the map where you would like your comment to be placed.

A form will be displayed where you can provide your comments regarding the scenario.

Since the form requests that you select the scenario you most support, consider reviewing all scenarios before placing your comment.

Your email will be used to request verification before your comment is accepted.

The commenting page is available in English, Spanish, Chinese and Korean.

Scenario Commenting Pages (Continued)

The scenarios can be accessed from the comment links page.

To open a scenario for commenting, click the open button.

Next Step

The next step in the process is the Superintendent’s recommendation to the Board.

During this process, community engagement comments along with the scenarios developed, will be reviewed by the Superintendent.

Scenarios may be modified prior to being presented to the Board.