Anne Arundel board launches Phase 2 redistricting process, opens public mapping tool Feb. 1

The Board of Education of Anne Arundel County held a workshop to present Phase 2 of its comprehensive redistricting plan and the public engagement timeline, with an interactive mapping tool scheduled to go live Feb. 1 and a comment period running through May 1.

The presentation, led by Chief Operating Officer Bill Heiser and Director of Facilities Kyle Roof, laid out the planning documents, enrollment projections and schedule staff intend to follow: staff will consider community feedback and provide recommendations to Superintendent Dr. Bedell in June; the superintendent will present formal recommendations to the board in July; the board will select options for public hearings in August and is scheduled to vote on final boundaries in November.

Staff emphasized the exercise is intended to balance school enrollments and strengthen the district’s case for capital funding. Heiser said available district seats are projected to drop over time as enrollment grows: staff presented that the district expects to add roughly 5,000 students over the next decade and that enrollment figures used in planning include a rise from about 79,000 in 2014 to roughly 91,000 by 2033. Heiser and Roof noted the district…