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Saint Mary's County begins public redistricting process to address shifting enrollment and overcrowding

October 29, 2025 | St. Mary's County, Maryland


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Saint Mary's County begins public redistricting process to address shifting enrollment and overcrowding
School officials described a countywide redistricting and facility‑utilization review at a joint meeting of county commissioners and the Board of Education on Oct. 28.

"We did engage with Cannon Design to look at redistricting comprehensively across the school system," Kim Howe, director of capital planning, told the joint session, saying the objective is to optimize the use of facilities while delivering instructional programs efficiently and relieving pockets of overcrowding.

Chief Operating Officer Michael Watson said the district has conducted broad outreach: more than 60,000 interactions on Facebook posts, more than 20,000 website hits, and a survey with 3,467 responses. He described community forum #2 (presentation of proposed options) scheduled for multiple nights in November, followed by a public comment period and a January–March review before board hearings and any final actions.

The district emphasized the forums are interactive; the first round focused on principles and data, while the second round will present concrete options, including possible school boundary moves or consolidations. Officials said forum registration is requested to facilitate engagement, and recordings and materials will be posted to the district website after each session.

Officials also said the consultant's scope focuses on educational uses; reuse of surplus school buildings for non‑school purposes is governed by state policy and, if the district does not retain a building for administration, the property reverts to the county for other uses.

District leaders encouraged attendance at the November sessions and stressed the process will consider short‑term and long‑term scenarios, given demographic shifts and an expected potential return to growth in the mid‑to‑late 2030s according to cohort and birth‑rate projections.

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Scribe from Workplace AI
Scribe from Workplace AI