LA PLATA, Md. (Nov. 19, 2008)—Superintendent James E. Richmond has temporarily changed school assignments for students moving into new developments in the Theodore G. Davis Middle School and North Point High School areas and asked for a longer-term plan from a redistricting committee.
The Superintendent told the Board of Education at its Nov. 18 meeting that Davis and North Point are overcrowded and need relocatable classrooms to accommodate both existing enrollment and relief from future growth.
Effective Dec. 1, Richmond has reassigned all new high school and middle school students in an area called Block 3782, which includes the new Scotland Heights development opposite Davis Road on Route 228 in Waldorf. Scotland Heights has 450 building lots; however, no houses have been built. Middle school students moving into Scotland Heights will attend Matthew Henson Middle School, and high school students will attend Westlake High School.
Richmond is reassigning middle school students in an area called Block 2733, which includes the Town Center South/Westchester at the Pavilion development on St. Patrick's Drive near BJ's Wholesale Club in Waldorf. The development includes 491 rental units, some of which become available after Dec. 1. Middle school students moving into this area will attend Milton M. Somers Middle School. The high school zone, which is Westlake, does not change.
In addition, Richmond is seeking county government approval to use excess funds from the Gale-Bailey Elementary School and T.C. Martin Elementary School full-day kindergarten addition projects to fund relocatable classrooms for Davis and North Point. An eight-classroom relocatable complex for North Point will ease overcrowding while the school system waits for approval and construction of a new high school. North Point has 2,161 students and 17 relocatable classrooms.
Richmond is also asking to install an eight-classroom relocatable complex at Davis to provide adequate classroom space for existing students and projected growth. Davis has 1,112 students.
Richmond told the Board he is creating a redistricting advisory committee to develop redistricting proposals for the two areas and to consider rezoning for other potential developments and areas without existing students.
The redistricting committee would meet beginning in January and present its proposals to the Board prior to the end of the school year.
Source: Charles County public school system