Adjustment of School Attendance Areas
to Accommodate the
opening of the New LAUREL-BELTSVILLE School

 On January 24, 2008 the Superintendent recommended to the Prince George's County Board of Education not to proceed with the PreK-8 Transition Plan at this time.  Dr. Deasy indicated that the necessary resources were not available to implement Stage One of the plan by the start of the 2008-2009 school year. Stage One of the PreK-8 Transition Plan included boundary and grade structure changes in a large portion of the county including the reconfiguration of the elementary and middle schools in the Laurel-Beltsville area.

 Although the PreK-8 Transition Plan has been tabled, the need to develop boundaries for the new Laurel-Beltsville area school remains.  At this time, two proposals have been prepared and were presented to the Board of Education as First Readers on Thursday, March 13, 2008.  These alternative proposals are centered on the boundaries necessary to open the new Laurel-Beltsville area school, improve facility utilization, improve the configuration of school attendance area, and optionally, to change the grade structure of elementary and middle schools in the Laurel-Beltsville area. 

Schools potentially affected by the alternatives under consideration include: 

Beltsville Elementary

James Harrison Elementary

Bond Mill Elementary

Laurel Elementary

Buck Lodge Middle*

Laurel-Beltsville Area Elementary (new)

Calverton Elementary

Martin Luther King, Jr Middle

Deerfield Run Elementary

Montpelier Elementary

Dwight D Eisenhower Middle

Oaklands Elementary

Greenbelt Elementary*

Scotchtown Hills Elementary
Greenbelt Middle*

 

            * indicates that only a minor adjustment has been proposed
 
Options B & Z: Laurel Beltsville Boundary Proposals Compared

At the request of the school board, Pupil Accounting & School Boundaries used the feedback from school board members and from the community affected in the proposed plans who expressed their concerns during the boundary hearings held on March 4th and March 5th to draft a modified version of the boundary proposals. This modification, Option Z, and the original proposal for Option B are being presented to the public on April 7th, 2008 for comment. Below is a summary of Both Options side by side for comparative purposes:

Laurel Beltsville Boundary Proposals Compared
 

Option B

Option Z
Affected Schools 10 Elementary Schools (including new one) 11 Elementary schools and 4 Middle schools.
Overcrowding Dramatically reduces overcrowding in most elementary schools. Number of schools with greater than 20 students over capacity goes from 7/10 to 1/10. Middle schools are not affected by this proposal. Dramatically reduces overcrowding in most elementary and middle schools in the directly affected area. Number of schools with greater than 25 students over capacity goes from 9/15 to 4/15.
Temporary Classrooms Use of portable classrooms required for classroom space in affected schools is reduced from 40 to 13. Use of portable classrooms required for classroom space in affected schools is reduced from 45 to 18.
Pre-K – 8 Pilot There is no Pre-K – 8 Pilot School in Option B. Beltsville Elementary would phase in middle grades to become a Prek – 8 Pilot school.
6th Grade Option B does NOT affect middle grades. In all schools, 6th grade would remain in the elementary schools. Option Z moves 6th grade students from 3 elementary schools (Bond Mill, Calverton and Laurel-Beltsville) to Middle school (Martin Luther King).
Space to Accommodate Growth Significant space is available to accommodate growth in this option. Significant space is available to accommodate growth in plan Z, at both the elementary and middle school levels.
Phasing The new school would open with all grade levels. No phasing would be accommodated. Beltsville would grow into its new configuration, adding one grade at a time, allowing current 7th graders to remain in their middle schools next year. The new school would open with all grade levels. No phasing would be accommodated.

 Information Connections:

  • A graphic illustration of the existing and the proposed boundaries as well as the impact on student enrollment is provided.
     
  • Tables summarizing the impact of Option B and Option Z on enrollment and facility utilization are available for review.
     
  • The PGCPS School Finder can be used to determine if a specific address is affected by the proposal.
     
  • Answers to questions from the public about the Boundary Proposals B & F have been prepared and are available for review.  While Option F (PreK-8 // PreK-5 / 6-8) has been replaced by Option Z (PreK-8 // PreK-5 / 6-8 // PreK-6 / 7-8), the answers may be helpful in reviewing the current proposals.

 

Public Hearings

 The Prince George’s County Board of Education will host a school boundary hearing.  All parents, students, and citizens are welcome to attend and will have the opportunity to offer comments for consideration by the Board of Education.  If you would like to speak at this hearing, please call the Region V Office at 240-264-1700 before 4 PM on the date of the hearing. The boundary hearing will be held in the multi-purpose room and is scheduled for:

 Monday, April 7, 2008, 7 PM
At
Beltsville Elementary School
 4300 Wicomico Avenue
Beltsville, MD 20705
Telephone: 301-572-0630