The Howard County school system will not be conducting redistricting in 2011, according to the Feasibility Study it released this month.

Each year, the Board of Education uses the study to look at possible redistricting scenarios in an effort to help plan for new schools, additions or renovations in its capital budget.

After Joel Gallihue, manager of school planning, and Ken Roey, executive director of facilities planning and management, presented the study at the June 10 board meeting, Superintendent Sydney Cousin emphasized that the plans discussed in the feasibility study are "not etched in stone."

"The feasibility study lets us have a very long-term look," Cousin said.

At this point, the earliest the county is looking to redistrict is in 2012 when it might change the districting for several elementary schools in the southeastern region of the county, but Gallihue and Roey said they would like to wait until a new northeastern elementary school opens in 2013 to do any elementary school redistricting.

The new school would bring relief to some of the county's more crowded schools, such as Elkridge Elementary, Bellows Spring Elementary and Deep Run Elementary.

The study also mentions the possibility of a new middle school in 2015 to be built in the northeastern part of the county.

-- Lindsey McPherson

---

user comments (0)