Anne Arundel County Public Schools unveiled an interactive redistricting web tool for members of the public to review and comment.
The pair of potential redistricting scenarios were developed in the first phase of a comprehensive redistricting initiative that will span the next three years.
WXY Studio, which was hired by the Board of Education last year, has worked for months to create the potential scenarios.
In addition to drawing boundaries for Old Mill High School West and West County Elementary School, both scheduled to open in the 2024-2025 school year, the scenarios reflect better ways to balance enrollments at schools in the Chesapeake, Glen Burnie, Meade, North County, Northeast and Old Mill clusters.
“I want to be crystal clear that these potential scenarios are just that. They are in no way recommendations and should not be interpreted as such,” Superintendent of Schools Dr. Mark Bedell said in a news release. “We want comments on these potential scenarios for my team and I to take into consideration as I move toward making a recommendation to the Board this summer.”
Users will have access to school assignments for their residence and how they may be impacted in either scenario. A dropdown in the upper right corner allows users to translate the entire page into Spanish.
Comments on the potential scenarios will be accepted through May 31, 2023.
According to a news release, Dr. Bedell and his staff plan to examine and consider all comments before Dr. Bedell delivers his recommendation to the Board of Education in July 2023.
The Board will then select an option or options to take to public hearing in October 2023 before adopting a plan for Phase 1 in November 2023.
Comments to be considered must be left on the redistricting page, not on other social media pages.
The plan adopted by the Board will go into effect in August 2024 and the Board has the authority to develop options other than the scenarios presented by the consultant or any recommendation from the superintendent.
Phase 2 of the initiative will examine schools in the Annapolis, Arundel, Broadneck, Crofton Severna Park, and South River clusters. It will begin with the release of a second web tool in February 2025, with a plan adopted by the Board to go into effect in the 2026-2027 school year.
More information on the redistricting process can be found here.