Superintendent Redistricting Recommendations Released

During the July 23 meeting of the Board of Education, Anne Arundel County Public Schools (AACPS) Superintendent Mark Bedell released his phase II redistricting recommendations, the latest milestone toward finalizing the second and final phase of the school system’s comprehensive redistricting plans.

I completely understand how stressful this process has been for some of you these past several months, particularly for families who live in the Jones Elementary catchment area, and want to thank those of you who called, emailed, texted and contacted me on social media to voice concerns regarding the previously released redistricting scenarios. Your concerns were heard!

While two of the three redistricting scenarios unveiled on February 1 called for the Jones Elementary catchment area to leave the Severna Park cluster for middle school before returning to Severna Park for high school, I am delighted to share that both of Dr. Bedell’s recommendations keep Jones Elementary within Severna Park schools through 12th grade at Severna Park High School. Barring action from the board, which I find unlikely, all students who previously attended prekindergarten through 12th grade in Severna Park will remain in Severna Park.

There are, however, some changes announced in Dr. Bedell’s recommendations that will impact some District 5 students at the elementary level. The first involves the Cypress Creek neighborhood of Severna Park that may move from Folger McKinsey Elementary to Severna Park Elementary to alleviate overcrowding in Folger. Also, some neighborhoods in the current Belvedere Elementary School catchment area are being moved to Arnold Elementary School to alleviate overcrowding in Belvedere.

For information on redistricting affecting all other clusters and schools, visit www.aacps.org/redistricting and click on “Redistricting Process Phase 2” located on the left-hand side of the screen on a laptop or two-thirds of the way down the menu under “About AACPS” on a phone.

Students currently enrolled in a secondary magnet program will continue to be enrolled in their assigned school under both recommendations; however, APEX Arts students currently at Annapolis High School only will be relocated to a new location under recommendation two to alleviate overcrowding in Annapolis High School. Magnet transportation will continue to be provided.

There are several important dates to keep in mind. A board workshop on the phase II redistricting recommendations is scheduled for August 18 at 6:00pm in the board room in the Parham Building, located at 2644 Riva Road in Annapolis. This workshop is open to the public; however, as with all workshops, no public testimony will be heard. Public comment is currently being collected online through September 5.

Please visit www.aacps.org/page/redistricting-process-phase-2 to provide feedback. The board will vote on a plan or plans to bring to public briefings and hearings to be scheduled between late September and the end of October during its September 17 meeting, which will begin at 6:30pm in the boardroom. A final redistricting plan to be implemented August 2026 will be adopted by the board during its November 19 meeting. This meeting also begins at 6:30pm in the boardroom. As with all other meetings, hearings and workshops, these will also be streamed live and recorded.

If you have feedback of any kind related to Bedell’s recommendations, I strongly encourage you to submit your feedback via the online tool in addition to reaching out to me. I will endeavor to respond to you as quickly as possible. As always, I can be reached at 443-534-2660, dschallheim@aacps.org, or on the socials.