Charles School System Hopes for Smoother Redistricting
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Charles School System Hopes for Smoother Redistricting
La Plata, MD - 8/15/2012
By Andy Marquis
With the opening of St. Charles High School set for 2014, the Charles County Board of Education is once again faced with the task of redistricting. During a meeting on Tuesday, they discussed the requirements for the subcommittee with the request that two redistricting options be presented.
Earlier this year, redistricting caused outrage in several communities affected. Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) Superintendent James Richmond told the board members that there will be no way to please everyone. The redistricting will be for the high schools, and every high school is likely to be impacted.
“This is the first time we’ve had such a bitter, angry response to what we did,” Richmond said. We had people say they didn’t want their kid to go to one school or another but never to this degree… You’re still going to deal with some issues no matter what you do.”
Richmond also said the opening of St. Charles High School will be a unique challenge because the last two high schools that opened, Westlake High School and North Point High School, were phased openings starting out as a middle school. St. Charles will open with students from ninth grade to the 12th grade in its first year in operation.
Board of Education Member Pamela Pedersen felt there should be some changes to the process this time around after the issues that occurred in the most recent round of redistricting.
The challenge will be for committee members to be selected who are not parents of children who will be affected one way or the other by the redistricting process. CCPS Director of Communications Katie O’Malley Simpson told the board that the volunteer positions are advertised and, if there are more than three volunteers who meet the criteria, their names will be randomly selected. Simpson said there are rarely more than three volunteers and that the school system does try to prevent parents of children in the school system from serving on the committee.
“The community did not understand the process,” CCBOE Vice Chairman Maura Cook said.
CCBOE Chairman Roberta Wise said the board of education should not have any influence in the process, though the final decision ultimately lies with the board.
The main purpose of the redistricting process will focus on relieving overcrowded schools while trying to zone children to a school that is close to them. The foundation will be laid down in the coming week for the new St. Charles High School, which will be located off Piney Church Road next to Regency Furniture Stadium. From there, construction will accelerate.
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