The Board of Education of Anne Arundel County will hear public input on the four Crofton-area redistricting proposals it has moved forward at a public hearing on Tuesday, March 19, 2019, at Arundel High School.
The public hearing will begin at 6:30 p.m. in the auditorium at Arundel High School, located at 1001 Annapolis Road in Gambrills. Ultimately, the plan adopted by the Board will establish boundaries for the new Crofton Area High School, scheduled to open in September 2020, and will alter boundaries at feeder elementary and middle schools.
Under all of the proposals, redistricted Arundel and South River high school students will be phased in at Crofton High School by grade levels, with only students in grades 9 and 10 attending in the 2020-2021 school year. In the 2021-2022 school year, students in grade 9 through 11 will attend, followed by students in grade 9 through 12 in the 2022-2023 school year.
The proposals moved forward by the Board are:
OPTION 1
Superintendent George Arlotto’s recommendation, which would:
- redistrict all Crofton Elementary School students in the Two Rivers/Forks of the Patuxent (1038B) and Waugh Chapel communities (1038C) temporarily to Piney Orchard Elementary School, in effect until West County Elementary School opens in the Arundel feeder system. These students will attend Arundel Middle School and Arundel High School.
- redistrict the Riverwalk at Crofton community (1038A) to Crofton Woods Elementary School and Crofton Area High School beginning in the 2020-2021 school year. Students will continue to attend Crofton Middle School (there are no students currently living in this area.)
- redistrict all other Arundel High School students living in the Nantucket, Crofton Meadows, and Crofton elementary school attendance zones on the east side of Route 3 to Crofton Area High School beginning in the 2020-2021 school year. These students would continue to attend Crofton Middle School.
- redistrict all South River High School students in the Crofton Meadows and Crofton Woods elementary school attendance zones to Crofton Area High School beginning in the 2020-2021 school year. These students would continue to attend Crofton Middle School.
- not include grandfathering provisions at any schools.
- This change would be effective in the fall of 2020.
OPTION 2
A plan crafted by several citizens that would:
- redistrict all Crofton Elementary School students in the “Two Rivers/Forks of the Patuxent” (1038B) temporarily to Piney Orchard Elementary School beginning in the 2020-2021 school year, in effect until West County Elementary School opens in the Arundel feeder system. Students from 1038B in middle and high school will attend Arundel Middle and Arundel High School.
- redistrict the Crofton Elementary School and Crofton Middle School students in the “Waugh Chapel” (1038C) community temporarily to Crofton Meadows Elementary School, Crofton Middle School and Crofton Area High School beginning in the 2020-2021 school year, in effect until West County Elementary School opens in the Arundel feeder system and an addition on to Arundel Middle School is completed. Upon completion of those schools, students form 1038C shall move to the new West County Elementary School, Arundel Middle School, and Arundel High School.
- redistrict the “Riverwalk at Crofton” (1038A) community to Crofton Woods Elementary School and Crofton Area High School beginning in the 2020-2021 school year. Students will continue to attend Crofton Middle School (there are no students in this area currently.)
- redistrict all other Arundel High School students living in the Nantucket, Crofton Meadows, and Crofton elementary schools’ attendance zones to Crofton Area High School beginning in the 2020-2021 school year. No change to middle school attendance.
- redistrict all South River High School students in the Crofton Meadows and Crofton Woods elementary schools’ attendance zones to Crofton Area High School beginning in the 2020-2021 school year.
- not include grandfathering provisions at any schools.
- This change would be effective in the fall of 2020.
OPTION 3
A modified form of the Crofton Area Redistricting Committee’s Group I, Option I plan, which would:
- redistrict all Crofton Elementary School students in the “Two Rivers/Forks of the Patuxent” (1038B) temporarily to Piney Orchard Elementary School beginning in the 2020-2021 school year, in effect until West County Elementary School opens in the Arundel feeder system. Students from 1038B in middle and high school will attend Arundel Middle and Arundel High School.
- students in the “Waugh Chapel” (1038C) community shall remain at Crofton Elementary School and Crofton Middle School and be redistricted from Arundel High School to Crofton Area High School beginning in the 2020-2021 school year.
- redistrict Neighborhood 1046 from Crofton Elementary School to Crofton Meadows Elementary School beginning in the 2020-2021 school year. No change to middle school attendance boundaries.
- redistrict Neighborhood 1047 from Crofton Meadows Elementary School to Crofton Woods Elementary School beginning in the 2020-2021 school year. No change to middle school attendance boundaries.
- redistrict the “Riverwalk at Crofton” (1038A) community to Crofton Woods Elementary School and to and Crofton Area High School beginning in the 2020-2021 school year. Students will continue to attend Crofton Middle School. (There are no students in this area currently.)
- redistrict all other Arundel High School students living in the Nantucket, Crofton Meadows, and Crofton elementary schools’ attendance zones to Crofton Area High School beginning in the 2020-2021 school year. No change to middle school attendance.
- redistrict all South River High School students in the Crofton Meadows and Crofton Woods elementary schools’ attendance zones to Crofton Area High School beginning in the 2020-2021 school year.
- not include grandfathering provisions at any schools.
- This change would be effective in the fall of 2020.
OPTION 4
Allowing existing students as of January 23, 2019, living in neighborhoods 1038B and 1038C to have the choice to stay at Crofton Elementary School or attend Piney Orchard Elementary School and then attend the applicable middle school for that elementary school. Those students would continue to attend Arundel High School.
School system staff held a public briefing on the four plans on February 12, 2019.
The Board will make a final decision on a redistricting plan at its April 17, 2019, meeting. Because the Board is conducting the March 19 public hearing, it will not take testimony on the redistricting plans at its April 17 meeting.
Complete information on the redistricting process, including the recommendations of Dr. Arlotto and the redistricting committee, can be found at www.aacps.org/redistricting.