The public will get a first look at Harford County Public Schools’ draft plan for countywide elementary school redistricting on Wednesday, Nov. 10, when the draft will be posted on the school system’s Web site.
The move comes after parents requested an immediate public release of the plan, which would redraw elementary school attendance boundaries countywide. The draft, which is subject to modification, will not be finalized until it is approved by the school board in March.
The school system has been planning to redistrict elementary school students for more than a year in hopes of balancing enrollment among elementary schools and filling the new Red Pump Elementary School in Bel Air. The new attendance boundaries, expected to affect all 32 elementary schools, will take effect for the 2011-12 school year.
Focus groups have been formed at each elementary school, comprised of a school administrator and parent volunteers, in an effort by HCPS to involve parents in the redistricting process. Last year, focus group members recommended parameters to guide the Superintendent’s Technical Advisory Committee, or STAC, as the group drew up the proposal for new attendance boundaries.
At an October school board meeting, Joseph P. Licata, chief of administration for HCPS and chairman of STAC, announced that regional meetings would be held November 8 to 10 to present focus group members with the draft prepared by STAC.
While not open to the public, Licata said that the regional focus group meetings would be videotaped and posted on the HCPS Web site after the redistricting proposal was made public at a school board meeting sometime in December. In the meantime, the focus groups at each school were to gather community input on the draft and suggest modifications that would be considered by STAC.
Parents Call for Halt to Countywide Redistricting
At the same October school board meeting where the regional focus group meetings were announced, several parents in the Youth’s Benefit Elementary School district called for a halt to comprehensive redistricting. They asked that Red Pump be filled for the next school year, but that countywide changes be put on hold until the wider community was brought into the redistricting process.
One of those parents, Michelle Richenderfer of Fallston, said that she was organizing a growing group of parents who wanted the redistricting proposal to be made public immediately, rather than wait for the December release. Parent Vickie Ruzicka of Baldwin echoed that sentiment and later wrote an explanatory e-mail to Licata and other school officials, including Superintendent Robert M. Tomback. A copy was provided to The Dagger for publication and appears below.
Following the school board meeting, HCPS issued an update to clarify the overall redistricting process. But questions remained about how focus group members would share the draft with their respective communities, when it was not being publicly released.
Responding to an inquiry from The Dagger, HCPS spokeswoman Teri Kranefeld, in consultation with Licata, wrote in an e-mail that the draft would be made public next week, an apparent reversal of an earlier decision to wait until December. Kranefeld said that focus group members would get a handout of the draft for their region, and for the county as a whole, and that the public would have access to the draft via the schools’ Web site:
We will post the DRAFT plan that is presented to the Focus Groups on the website the evening of Wednesday, November 10th, after the Focus Group Meetings have been conducted. Focus Group members will be charged with discussing the plan with their community and providing feedback to the Superintendent’s Technical Advisory Committee. The meetings will also be videotaped and posted on our website and aired on the Harford Cable Network. Parents are encouraged to provide any feedback regarding the plan by utilizing the email address that will be established and linked directly below the plan on the website once posted.
Next Steps
After input is gathered on the first draft, STAC may or may not, make modifications before presenting the draft to Superintendent Tomback for his approval. The superintendent’s plan will then be presented at a school board meeting sometime in December. Additional public input will be gathered, including hearings to be held sometime in January and February.
The Harford County Board of Education is expected to approve a final redistricting plan by March 2011, allowing time for logistical issues, including bus routes and the transfer of student records, to be settled before the opening of the 2011-12 school year.
Below is the text of the e-mail from Ruzicka to school officials:
Mr.Licata, Mr. Brown, and Mr. Kaufman,
My name is Vickie Ruzicka and I live in Baldwin, MD. I am the mother of two children currently attending Youth’s Benefit Elementary School.
I know I am not alone in voicing my displeasure regarding the current level of community involvement in the redistricting issue. A complete comprehensive redistricting of all elementary schools is an extensive undertaking that has never been proposed before. I believe it is naive to think a project of this scope and sequence can be completed within the same time frame it takes to redistrict a single new facility, such as Red Pump Elementary School.
In speaking with parents and community members throughout Harford County, it is clear to me that community involvement was not a priority of the redistricting committee. The quality of life enjoyed by Harford County residents is about to be torn apart through the redistricting process with little or no input from the community. Ask anyone in Harford County and you will likely hear that the LOCAL school their child attends is the very fabric, the core, of their community.
The LOCAL schools are where children grow with a sense of community and responsibility toward their neighbors. LOCAL schools are where children find continuity in their classroom, community, and activities. By comprehensive redistricting at the level suggested Monday night in our conversations, you are creating disjointed and disconnected communities that our children depend on. By taking schools and splitting them up two, three, and possibly even four ways, you are tearing apart entire childhood relationships such as Cub Scout dens and Packs, Girl Scout Troops and Communities, and recreational teams. These relationships that have been cultivated from an early age all got their start in the classrooms of the LOCAL schools the children attended.
Please know that the current situation Harford County finds itself in is not your pain to shoulder alone. The County Council and developers have done their share to create this situation. They allow growth when they know that the schools in certain areas of the county are over capacity. They encourage further growth within over capacity boundary areas by embracing Development Transfer Rights. The parents and community members of Harford County need to address this issue as well.
What we are asking from you is to table the comprehensive redistricting for now. Embrace the communities and work with us. Five parents from each elementary schools is not an accurate, comprehensive representation of our entire county. Together, as communities, we can provide a balanced plan for our children. We will be able to better accept redistricting when we are involved from the beginning and kept in the process all the way to the end. Table this action now and repair the strained relationship that has Harford County Board of Education on the opposite side of the table from community members and parents.
Sincerely,
Vickie Ruzicka
Below is the text of the October redistricting update posted on the HCPS Web site:
UPDATE: OCTOBER 27, 2010
The Comprehensive Elementary Redistricting Initiative is moving forward and will be on schedule for Board of Education approval by March 2011. After some complications in formulating a proposal, the Superintendent’s Technical Advisory Committee (STAC) has developed a framework to meet the intended goals of the Board of Education which are:
- Construct Red Pump ES and develop the new attendance area for the school
- Provide relief primarily to Prospect Mill ES and the adjacent schools in that region
- Provide relief to Emmorton ES and the adjacent schools in that region
- Balance enrollments in the remaining county elementary schools to 85%-90% of capacity
The Board of Education has established a process whereby the general public will have multiple opportunities to review the proposals and provide meaningful feedback to the Board in order for them to make a final decision that meets the needs and requirements of the school system and students. The process includes the development of Focus Groups in each of the 32 elementary schools. These groups, comprised of parent volunteers, will be presented with the framework and asked to elicit input and feedback from their school community members. That feedback will be provided to the STAC, which will in turn make appropriate modifications and or revisions to the proposal. The proposal will then be publically presented to the Board of Education in early December. Following the Board presentation, the Focus Group meetings will be aired on Harford Cable Network (HCN) and posted to the school system website for viewing. During the following three (3) months, the public will have the opportunity to review the details of the proposed plan and provide testimony to the Board of Education regarding their comments, suggestions, and revisions that will add value to the plan to ensure that it meets the goals of the Board of Education.
The website has been remodeled to provide accurate and timely information in a clear and concise format. By subscribing to the RSS Feed above (simply click on the RSS link above), you will be notified when new updates are posted to this site. The most recent updates will always be located within this box with a date stamp. In addition, we will send out regular email updates through our email notification system, Constant Contact. You can register your email address by using the link below. The Board of Education is committed to providing parents with accurate, timely information while affording the opportunity to contribute feedback throughout this process.
Cindy-
Thanks for the update on the redistricting. Do you have any info on how Pup Prep is going at PMMS? I feel like it is Husky Period all over again. Why are my kids losing time in their core classes to do these activities? Didn’t know what you knew.
What does the new executive position “Director of Community Engagement” accomplish? How much does this position drain from the budget? Because so far, I don’t feel like it’s anything more than new layer to keep the parents at arm’s length. I’m thoroughly disappointed and fed up with the management of schools hypocritically requesting input from the community. I find it condescending.
My children will be devastated if they are moved out of Riverside it is home to us. The teachers and the principal are wonderful. Thank you for the updates.
Get involved and let the BoE know that people all over Harford County are upset with the total county redistricting part of the plan. Public comments can be made by anyone!
LIkely however I believe Riverside is very under populated. Most likely new people will be coming to Riverside.
Although 730 units are planned to go into your school zone
I would carefully scrutinize the “numbers” you hear from the school system. The term fuzzy math comes to mind. When Forest Hill was redistricted to Bel Air everytime they made a presentation the numbers changed. They school system also said 2 years ago that Bel Air High School had plenty of room for a magnet program when it was obvious based on the number of students in Bel Air Middle School that it was completely untrue. The school board voted for it anyway. Now Bel Air is at capacity and Fallston High is way under and Edgewood High School even more so.
This school’s primary function is to provide relief for Prospect Mill Elementary? I would like to remind people, maybe some have forgotten. The whole reason for Red Pump was because the County Council got butt hurt with the Board of Ed. when they wanted to build the new school on or about Shucks Rd.
The best solution is to displace children from their PMES community and send them nearly to Fallston? When you displace the school capacity overages surrounding RPES, and with the added housing moratorium that was lifted, what will the capacity of RPES go to? I’m guessing over 100%. Is there any way to hold our BoE accountable for this?
Not really since they didn’t get to make the decision. They wanted Campus Hills for the very reasons you mention. Slutzky however wanted Red Pump so more houses could be built. He claimed it would be cheaper but Red Pump is actually costing more then Campus Hills was projected to cost and we will get NO state money for it. Now the primary objective is not met unless you move lots of people. If you want to hold someone accountable hold the Slutzky commision.
Kate’s comment about looking carefully at numbers is very true. We saw numbers in our focus group meeting that were both startling and puzzling. Do your research carefully when the info is made public on hcps.org by the end of this week.
There are currently MANY houses being built in both the Emmorton and Homestead Wakefield school district. Go drive around Ring Factory and Tollgate and look at the stripped landscape. There are some areas that needed to be moved. For example, residents that live behind the Bel Air Athletic Club go to Homestead Wakefield. There are residents right up the street from Homestead Wakefield that go to Prospect Mill. I am not suggesting that any of this is being addressed because I have no idea what the school system might come up with.
I only hope that they are willing to consider options. Once they presented moving kids from Bel Air to Patterson Milll and from Fallston to Bel Air, they were done. Several Board members even said that they wouldn’t reconsider any decisions that were already made because it would give the public the perception that “they were weak.” I heard that from firsthand from more than one of them. Also the overwhelming attitude was “your kids will adjust fine but it is the parents who don’t.” I had a daughter who had to move after 2 years in a middle school and one who had startd high school somewhere else. Had to buy new uniforms for one year and everything. My kids weren’t jumping for joy either and the adjustment wasn’t because of a lack of support from home.
Sometimes just showing some compassion and empathy for people can go a long way…
Kate Fallston remained undercapacity because they changed the line on shifting from Joppatowne to Fallston. Before the redistricting it was Singer Rd. They wanted to move it down to Route 7. Then they moved it back up to Franklinville rd. Meanwhile Joppatowne remains under capacity.
Bottom line is no one likes to move. I feel for the kids in the situation of the two who switched MS mid way through. I had a real problem with the people who had 5th graders who wanted them to go to Fallston and not Bel air because that is where the family went to school.
That said if we do not seriously start shuffling people around in a manner that makes sense we will have empty space on route 40 and over crowded schools around Bel Air.
I understand that Cdev, but does it make sense to move children that live in 20147 and are active community members from Fallston to Red Pump so people that live in Kingsville and Baldwin can continue to go to YBES? Why not trim the fat on the outside edges not from within. That’s what bugs me about this whole process. Not to diminish the other areas of the county that this is affecting, but this is where it hits home for me.
Do not be so sure that those with a Baldwin zip code will remain at YBES. I live in Baldwin and when I am asked where I live I respond with Fallston, despite the 21013 zip code. My zip code and ‘home’ post office aren’t even in Harford County (There are 2 post offices closer to me than my own. Kind of silly if I ever need to sign for something at the post office…) If you are suggesting zip codes be some kind of school boundary ‘tie breaker’, where do you suggest sending those with Baldwin, Monkton and Hydes zip codes?
Baltimore County – they’ll need to spend their money for a change and build schools……
Yes, but they would have to annex us first. We are residents of Harford County. That is far beyond the scope of a Board or Education to change…
I’m sorry. I’ve never understood how Baldwin has both Harford and Balto county residents that doesn’t seem right.I don’t think Monkton or Hydes are considered Harford at all so they too should not be going to Harford public schools.
All I know is we’re on a dividing road now, the kids across the street go to a different school and it’s irritating to hear people not even in Harford county having an impact on the schools.
me says – Baldwin is the largest of the ‘northern’ zip codes to be split bewteen 2 counties, but Monkton (Hess Road/146/Pocock) and Hydes (Rte 147 after leaving 21047, but before entering Baltimore Co.) also have smaller areas that are part of Harford County. I guess the town boundaries were made first and then the Counties were created by using more natural dividing lines. I know my house and all of our neighborhood friends consider our hometown to be Fallston…
I apologize…2111 (monkton) and 21161 (White Hall) are both larger zip code areas than Baldwin and have a larger presence in Harford Co, than does Baldwin. How that translates to homes and people, I do not know. http://www.zipmap.net/Maryland/Harford_County.htm
I should have looked at this prior to making my last statement
me I live on a dividing road. The kids across the street go to Bel Air and mine Edgewood. It sucks but I understand. As of yet the plan is not out so one has to wait and see what it is. It makes less sense that schools stay at 60% capacity while others are at 130% when a comprehensive effort can fix it. Letting people just stay because they are of a certian class when it is not in the best interest of the kids in the county is a real bad practice that got started in this county and it is time to stop wasting money and fix it. Since it was allowed to go on it will anger some people but in the long run we will be better off. While I believe Campus Hills was cheaper to build it would have been a patch on problem which would have continued. The Red Pump selection while more costly forces us to deal with the problem since we now see the developers and COunty Council have no desire to fix it.
BTW the city of Laurel is within 4 different counties. PG, Montgomery, Anne Arundel and Howard!
It’s kind of funny to hear you folks talking about Baldwin, Hydes, Monkton, White Hall, Kingsville, Fallston, as if they are officially defined places. These aren’t towns or cities with boundaries, they’re just Zip Codes. They have no role in government or education, they’re just units carved up by postmasters a long time ago, because to them the divisions made sense from a mail delivery perspective. In some cases, it made sense to cross county lines to do so. That’s it.
While we’re on this subject, one of my pet peeves is when people say they live in “Street.” There’s no such place. In fact, if you lived next to the post office, you’d be living in Highland. And don’t get me started on Whiteford vs. Cardiff…
By the way, my Zip Code is White Hall, but I tell people I live in Norrisville, lest they think I live in Baltimore County (perish the thought).
Yes there is a “Street” Maryland with a zipcode of 21154. It does exist.
Well of course there is a Street post office with a zip code of 21154. But there isn’t a place called Street. (Where exactly do you think it is, HCPS Volunteer?)
They couldn’t call the post office Highland because there was already a Highland, MD elsewhere in the state. If memory serves, “Street” was the last name of the postmaster at the time.
Folks with a Street zip code live in places like Highland, Ady, Poplar Grove, Scarboro, and Mill Green, as well as portions of Dublin and Rocks.
The point of my original post was that people shouldn’t connect zip codes with towns, neighborhoods, or school attendance areas. They are just for mail delivery.
I hope the BOE genuinly listens to the people of Harford County in their proposal. I can’t help but worry that the decisions have already been made and the parental meetings are simply a formality. Deerfield was already under capacity and the new building is larger as well with the HS. I’m sure they knew when Red Pump was built who’d be going there and I believe Campus Hills will open shortly.(depending on the public out cry) there was just an election too so I’m curious how any campaign promises play out.
William S. James was already at or above capacity and the William Paca parents had a choice to send their kids to Deerfield or WSJ almost all went to the over crowded school of WSJ (this was done a week before school opened) – Title 1 may give the folks an option but it should make sense such as don’t have them go to the already crowded school but the school with a couple of hundred extra seats….and busing is provided and I see buses that are almost empty…PM was built only in 2007 and is already over capacity – how is that possible – can’t the BOE do basic Math?!?!? that’s rediculous..no thought was in play there…
I realize not everyone will be happy with the final decision 250K people in a county will never agree on everything…but I hope it simply makes sense over all..once this is done I hope they give thought to the Middle and High Schools capacity and plans…I’m not hearing much about that and all these kids will end up in Middle and HS soon enough, are those structures going to be able to handle it – and I know no one wants another redistricting then so I’m hoping real thought has been involved this time around.
It is not a title 1 only choice but a underpreforming choice. It is the two closest schools. Magnolia ES students got to choose between Joppatowne and Riverside ES
Cdev. I understand what your saying I really do. It just doesn’t make sense that an under performing school with an option to send to 2 schools is able to create WSJ to be even more crowded and Deerfield is now even less utilized – which I think is the point you were making a few comments above, where you mention your on a divded road and understand why you go to Edgewood while the kids across the street go to Bel Air..I’m glad you understand but most won’t as I’m sure your taxes are the same. All I was trying to say is when Deerfield has so many open seats why force WSJ to make room for over 100 extra kids – there shouldn’t have been a choice involving WSJ..go to Paca or Deerfield…I didn’t check out the decisions Magnolia parents made between the other 2 schools those kids could go to so I can’t comment but the same would apply if almost all kids made a crowded school more crowded.
Magnolia parents had the choice of either Joppatowne ES or Riverside ES, neither of which was at capacity. Under NCLB requirements the Superintendent must offer two transfer alternatives in these situations. The choice of which schools was up to Tomback.
Maybe WSJ should not have been an option but NCLB requires 2 options beside the home school.
me about the taxes funny how that works. the same house across the street goes for 30K more but we are both assessed at the same rate. I understand there has to be a line and main roads and rivers etc. make the best dividers.
Cdev I think we must be neighbors. And the bigger question is WHY are there underperforming schools in the first place? If the so-called unfixable Rt. 40 schools were addressed, this wouldn’t be a problem. EMS is an example of what can happen when you give the school the authority to get rid of deadwood and emphasize an atmosphere of success. Two years ago I never would have sent my kids there, now my son is in middle school there and excelling. This would not have happened without the state’s “interference.”
WHY is a LONG story for another day. underfunding is part of it. I agree with the change in EMS.
Funny how as soon as the new school began construction, they began developing directly behind it on Red Pump Rd. Rumor has it that the current infrastructure wouldn’t support the school. No school, no new housing construction. The housing contractor offered to eat the costs of the water and sewer lines in order to get the school built…….so he could build his houses. These jerks, the BoE, The HCC and the contractors are all in bed together.
Is it true that YBES has to send students to other schools so it has the room to be updated? If all of the area schools around RPES go to 100% capacity, and all of the overages go to RPES, and then add the overages from PMES, what will the capacity of RPES be? 135% or more?
The BOE did not want to build RPES first. You can thank the County Council for that. They refused to fund the Campus Hills construction that the BOE wanted. The BOE had little choice unless they wanted to sue over the issue and that would not have been good for anyone.
This all seems crazy to me that they even built a new school when YBES is so old with no air conditioning. That project should’ve been completed first. As a parent I’ve voiced my opinion about a new school being built but more parents in the community need to voice their opionion.
YBES is not the only school with no AC. It is also not the only old building. Also based on comments it is overcrowded but no one seems to want to be redistricted.
Walking into YBES, you would never know it is overcrowded. Both buildings are managed beautifully. I have never heard a derogatory word form any staff member or parent about feeling ‘overcrowded’. Some parents voice a concern about moving to the intermediate building with ‘open classrooms’, myself included, but it has never been an issue for my family or any other that I speak with. People who are unaware sometimes don’t notice the way the classes are set up at all. The administration, staff and parents/community work together to make a school that large work for everyone. We are not gaining any students from other areas and would be totally content if we could keep the 150 or so students that are being redistricted. (btw-my children will remain at YBES. I am not saying any of this to plead a case to stay)
I’m waiting…I thought the plan would be posted by now
It’s up now on the site as of 9:30pm on 11/10
Harford County Public Schools Draft Elementary Redistricting Map Unveiled: http://www.daggerpress.com/2010/11/10/harford-county-public-schools-draft-elementary-redistricting-map-unveiled/