Frederick County School Board Considers Massive Redistricting Plan

It covers almost 2500 students and 12 schools.Frederick, Md (KM) A public hearing on a proposed redistricting plan for  Frederick County Public School students is expected to take place in August. The Board of Education discussed the plan on Wednesday.The Crestwood Area Redistricting Plan drafted by Superintendent Dr. Cheryl Dyson would moved 425 elementary school students, 1,054 middle school students and 969 high school students. About 436 children from neighborhoods to the north of Frederick would be moving from Monocacy Middle School to West Frederick Middle School. This is the largest group students affected by this plan.Another 429 students would move from Frederick High School to Governor Thomas Johnson High School.In all, the plan affects almost 2500 students and 12 schools.The plan was developed to deal with the upcoming addition to Crestwood Middle School which would add 300 new seats. But School Board President Sue Johnson says it should go by another name. “I’m, not sure if we should be calling this the Crestwood Middle School redistricting,:” she said. “It’s more of how FCPS is handling unbridled growth in Frederick County.”Other members agreed that the plan goes far beyond just Crestwood Middle School’s addition. “I Know it’s prompted by the Crestwood expansion, the addition. But I do think the citizens of the county need understand. {It’s} four times the growth of the next county closest to us. That’s  mind-boggling,:”  said Board Member Karen Yoho.IF the Crestwood Area Redistricting Plan is approved by the Board of Ed, it would take affect during the 2024–2025 academic year.Even if this plan is adopted, Beth Pasierb, the School System’s Facilities Planning Supervisor, said the Board of Education may need to deal with this type of redistricting in the future. “Right now, we’re identifying another elementary school on the east side of Frederick City, Frederick County,” she said. “As you know, Oakdale Elementary School is very much over capacity despite the fact that we just opened Blue Heron {Elementary School}. You saw the numbers for the development that’s happening in Spring Ridge, and we need to address that. And we’re looking at that site, and that’s our next priority there.”By Kevin McManus