Welcome to our weekly column in which a topic of interest, piece of news, relevant opinion, or general request for feedback is presented. We’ll offer the topic du jour and accompanying question, and you have the opportunity to respond with your thoughts.
Simply fill out the form below. A collection of each week’s responses will appear in the following week’s column. To view responses on our previous topics click here.
Publisher reserves the right to edit responses for clarity and publish online and/or in our print publications.
Please let us know your thoughts!
This week’s Feedback Friday topic is:
Anne Arundel County Public School Redistricting
After a publicly open Anne Arundel County Public Schools (AACPS) Board meeting dubbed a “Redistricting Workshop” earlier this week, many parents left frustrated. The concern being that the county’s redistricting process, which will affect thousands of students and their families beginning in 2024, might be flawed.
A specific complaint that has emerged is that the school redistricting process is split into “Northern” and “Southern” phases versus observing the county as a whole. With a new Old Mill High School being built, the Northern tier of school clusters will be greatly affected, while it remains to be seen how much, if at all, the Southern tier will change.
But notably, the north/south designation given to school clusters appears oddly skewed in favor of Southern schools. A look at the map with these designations leads to more questions than answers.
For example, why is the Severna Park cluster designated Southern instead of Northern?
How will the Northern Old Mill cluster—with its new high school and location directly in the middle of the map—be redistricted if immediately adjacent Southern clusters, such as Severna Park, Arundel, and Crofton, are not included in its redistricting phase?
Or will redistricting of elementary and middle feeder schools cross between Northern and Southern tiers? If not, then where will Crownsville’s schoolchildren—located closer to Severna Park, Arundel, and Crofton high schools than Old Mill—be sent?
I’m certain there are many nuances and data points that feed into the redistricting process, which admittedly I’m ignoring at the moment, but the general optics of this process thus far, is concerning.
Is school redistricting on your radar, do you care, and how would you like the County to respond?
Please share your thoughts by filling out this form. Today’s responses—and all future Feedback Friday responses—will be published in our Monday newsletters after the weekend. AND, several responses from recent topics will appear in our upcoming print magazines!
