Board awards $199,860 contract to Cannon Washington for countywide facility‑utilization and boundary study

The Saint Mary's County Board of Education voted July 30 to award a facility-utilization and school-boundary consulting contract to Cannon Washington Incorporated (a Cannon Design component) to evaluate use of the district’s 27 schools and recommend options for boundary changes, closures and other realignment strategies. The contract is a lump-sum award of $199,860 with a project contingency for optional “value‑added” services of $48,045; the district reported a $250,000 budget for the work, leaving an available balance of $2,095 if the contingency is not used. District staff told the board the consultant was chosen after an RFP process that drew four proposals; one firm was deemed nonresponsive for failing to submit pricing. Cannon Washington submitted a technical proposal, pricing and an interview; staff contacted references in other jurisdictions and reported favorable feedback about Cannon’s community engagement and technical work. Staff described the study scope as a complete analysis of available space, enrollment and growth; a review of facility usage and projections; fiscal and operational impact analysis; and community engagement. The vendor proposed a schedule that would backward-map to a parent-notification date of April 1, 2026. Staff outlined a timeline that includes consultant evaluations from July through September; countywide community engagement and public presentations October–December (proposed three consecutive nights at each high school and their feeder schools); a final options report in January; and board consideration in February–March prior to April notifications. The presenters noted the work will incorporate enrollment projections, cohort survivability and information from county land‑use, growth management and the county comprehensive plan. Staff also said the Technical Evaluation Committee (TEC) in the county tracks new development and adequate public‑facilities approvals and that some town planning processes (for example, Leonardtown) operate separately but that the district coordinates with municipal planning as possible. Board members and staff emphasized the length and complexity of the study and asked the firm to present scaled, easily digestible materials during engagement (district staff said an information hub on the SMCPS website, livestreamed meetings and posted follow-ups were planned). Board members asked that the district provide periodic updates to the board during study implementation. The motion to award the contract authorized district staff to use hourly rates in the contract to purchase additional services from Cannon Washington as funding permits. Cannon Washington named Maria Gordeketskaya as client leader, Kia St. Louis as project manager, Paul Mills as prime contact, and independent GIS contractor Lee Wong as a technical partner for data visualization; staff also listed other team members and their experience with similar district projects.