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Board reviews Northwest elementary boundary recommendation and staff proposes earlier Canfield Early Learning Center closure
Summary
BCPS staff recommended the committee's Option B2 for Northwest Area elementary boundaries, which the committee selected by vote. The proposal would affect about 452 students and create an additional elementary-to-middle feeder split; the board scheduled a public hearing for Feb. 26 and will consider a vote on March 11. Staff also proposed
BCPS staff presented the Northwest Area Elementary School boundary committee’s recommendation at the Feb. 11 board meeting and also proposed accelerating the planned closure of Canfield Early Learning Center.
The boundary committee met five times after a spring 2024 planning period and considered 16 options; five options were shared at the public information session and four were voted on by the committee. Committee members selected Option B2 — with one small planning‑block modification considered but not adopted — as the plan that best balanced capacity, proximity and Blueprint early‑childhood expansion goals. Staff said the recommended option would affect an estimated 452 students and create a fifth elementary‑to‑middle feeder split (Deer Park would have an 80/20 split between Deer Park/Birch (?) Magnet and Northwest Academy under the recommended plan).
BCPS staff and planners stated that the Northwest area has seen multiple capital projects (including new or expanded Deer Park and Scotts Branch schools) that increase capacity and make reassignment possible. Staff said the boundary study included outreach such as streamed committee meetings, public information sessions and surveys. The board will hold a public hearing on the proposed boundary recommendation on Feb. 26 at 6:30 p.m. at Milford Mill Academy; the Board of Education is scheduled to vote on the boundary change on March 11, 2025.
On the Canfield Early Learning Center, Dr. Grimm told the board that the board previously approved Canfield’s closure with an anticipated end date at the close of the 2025‑26 school year. Staff now propose accelerating the closure so that students move to their home schools or nearby regional programs at the end of the current coming school year, a year earlier than originally planned. Staff said the acceleration is possible because of transitions already completed (over 200 kindergarten and pre‑K students transitioned during the current year) and the timely completion of nearby capital projects that free capacity. Staff said fewer than 60 students are projected to remain at Canfield for the next school year if the earlier closure is approved; impacted staff would be prioritized for transfers in the spring.
Board members asked detailed questions about state‑rated capacity adjustments, whether relocatable classrooms would remain available, and how the projected enrollment accounted for nearby housing construction. Staff said the state‑rated capacity (SRC) can be adjusted by the state based on project scope and provided initial enrollment forecasts that account for known future development; planners told members that the recommended option provided the best overall balance among options considered.
No final boundary vote or final decision on Canfield’s earlier closure was made tonight. The board will take public comment at the Feb. 26 hearing and consider a final vote on March 11, 2025.
