Garrett County advisory committee outlines plan to relocate Accident Elementary; public raises concerns

An advisory committee recommended moving Accident Elementary students into Northern Middle School to create a pre-K–7 campus while shifting 8th graders into Northern High School, Garrett County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. McCartney told attendees at a public hearing on the proposal.

The committee presented enrollment trends, building-condition estimates and projected savings, and members of the public voiced opposition centered on student stability, safety, community impact and the loss of a successful neighborhood school.

The presentation summarized recent enrollment changes and facility needs. The committee reported a countywide enrollment decline of about 238 students since the 2020–21 school year, with the southern end losing 64 students last year while the northern end increased by roughly 14 students. Attendance at Accident Elementary declined from 242 students in 2020–21 to about 221 in the current year. The committee estimated Accident Elementary renovation needs at $2,500,000 and estimated roughly $1,200,000 in renovations to adapt Northern Middle to elementary-aged students; the county’s local share of that latter estimate was cited as 11 percent.

Financial figures presented to the public included an estimated annual savings of approximately $450,000 from consolidating operations, attributed to eliminating five support positions and reduced operating and maintenance costs at the Accident facility. Presenters said the current CIP shows $816,000 in local money would be required to address work at Accident; presenters calculated a net local savings of about $270,000 if the consolidation proceeds and the Northern Middle renovation proceeds as estimated.

Committee members also described operational impacts. The plan would require three additional buses for the northern loop and could add about 10 minutes of potential instructional time daily. Adapting Northern Middle for younger students would require new pre-K classrooms, restroom modifications, an improved health suite and changes to outdoor play areas and teacher sight lines. Presenters noted the middle-school gym could be partitioned to accommodate elementary physical education and that some programs — for example, agricultural offerings — might be relocated within school footprints.

Dr. McCartney framed the hearing as part of a decision process: “In next month's board meeting, I will consider their report, I'll consider input that I've heard, and I will make a recommendation to the board as to how I think we should move forward. The board will then vote in March,” she said.

Public commenters urged caution or opposed the proposal. Barb Law, a retired Garrett County educator and parent of Accident alumni, said the school is “one of the best schools in Garrett County” and warned against closing a high-performing school, adding that some staff are fearful of speaking publicly. Law also said she had heard that having 7th and 8th graders at Southern had been “a nightmare” and quoted one critic who called that arrangement “like having a bunch of feral cats running around.”

Other speakers raised similar concerns about student emotional well‑being and stability. “If it isn't broken, why fix it?” said Stephanie Spano Wilson, a parent, arguing that the disruption of relocating young children would harm their sense of safety and continuity. Brenda Skipper, who has worked in local classrooms and driven buses, said Accident’s 5‑star rating and community support justified keeping the building open and raised safety concerns about already-full buses and the logistics of increased private-transportation traffic.

Speakers also pressed practical questions about traffic and emergency access at Northern Middle, and about how student activities and PTO fundraising would change if elementary and middle grades share the building. Jess Brown, an advisory-committee presenter and Accident Elementary PTO president, said the PTO currently operates on a roughly $15,000–$16,000 annual budget and estimated it would need to raise an additional $15,000–$20,000 to maintain current elementary supports if older students were added to the PTO’s constituency.

Committee presenters flagged community impacts beyond budgets: potential loss of local indoor and outdoor space for sports, fewer local walking field trips to town facilities, changes to PTO structure and effects on nearby businesses that rely on school traffic. They noted safety issues including sight lines for younger children near delivery routes and the need to consider crosswalks or signage on the approach to Route 219.

The committee emphasized that its presentation was intended to summarize factual material about advantages and disadvantages and not reflect personal viewpoints. Presenters noted there is no single research-proven grade-band model that is universally best and that most educational outcomes depend on the work done inside buildings, not the building configuration alone.

No formal action was taken at the hearing. Dr. McCartney said she will weigh the committee report and public input before issuing a recommendation to the Board of Education at its February meeting; the board is scheduled to vote in March. The superintendent and board offered tours of the Northern Middle facility for community members who want to see possible adaptations for younger or older students.

Discussion at the hearing repeatedly returned to tradeoffs among finances, building-need timelines, student social and emotional development, and community identity — subjects the board will revisit when it considers the superintendent’s recommendation.

Ending

The public-comment session closed with the superintendent thanking attendees for a “professional” discussion and reiterating that the district’s charge is to consider what is best for all Garrett County students. No timetable for an implementation decision beyond the stated February recommendation and March board vote was set during the hearing.