SMCPS proposes phased high-school redistricting for 2026-27, outlines bus and grandfathering options
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Summary
SMCPS recommended a phased implementation of a high-school boundary plan (modified Option 1.1a) beginning with rising ninth-graders in 2026-27 to ease Leonardtown overcrowding; staff outlined specific neighborhood reassignments, three transportation scenarios with cost estimates, and a grandfathering policy to avoid splitting families.
St. Mary's County Public Schools presented a phased high-school redistricting proposal at the Feb. 4 work session, recommending a modified version of Canon Design's Option 1 (labeled Option 1.1a) that would begin in the 2026-27 school year and phase cohorts into new high-school assignments over four years.
SMCPS said the short-term proposal would affect about 352 current high-school–age students in the identified area but would initially apply only to rising ninth graders, then add successive earlier grades each year until full implementation. The district said this phasing would preserve continuity for upperclassmen (seniors, juniors) and minimize disruption to athletics and extracurricular programs.
Officials listed specific areas proposed to move from Leonardtown High School to Chocticon High School and Great Mills High School, citing sections of Maryland Route 235 (including the Hollywood Road corridor and auxiliary drives), Indian Bridge Road and an eastbound section of MD-4 from Patuxent Beach Road to MD-235 as examples of reassignments. Staff said neighborhood and road-based boundaries were chosen for clarity and transportation planning.
Transportation was a central concern. Staff presented three scenarios to serve relocated students during a phased transition: 1) shuttle/double-busing for the transition period (estimated mileage/time costs: $95,000 for the Chocticon option and $45,000 for the Great Mills option); 2) temporary new bus contracts (each bus contract cost estimated at $75,000 plus $300,000 with PBA obligations per bus); and 3) a combination of rerouting and adjusted elementary start times to free buses. Each approach has tradeoffs in cost, staffing and complexity, and staff said final routing depends on a board decision and summer planning.
SMCPS highlighted facilitation measures: grandfathering rules to avoid splitting families (existing students can remain in their current schools while rising siblings move), an online "Find My School" tool families can use to enter an address and see projected changes, and a phased timeline keyed to the renovation schedule at Chopticon (presented in the meeting as a renovation that influences phasing).
The board asked clarifying questions about how long grandfathering would remain in effect, whether siblings could be continually grandfathered through the multi-year phase-in, and whether transport and program parity (e.g., STEM, GIS, cybersecurity pathways) would be available across all sites. Staff said program parity is a goal (they proposed offering GIS at all three high schools and suggested cybersecurity and other pathways) but that some costlier lab-based programs, like the STEM pathway at Great Mills, are hard to replicate at all sites.
Next steps: staff will post detailed maps and the "Find My School" tool on the district website after the work session, present an interim report March 4, hold a public hearing Feb. 18, and provide the superintendent's final recommendation March 18. Implementation details, bus-route changes and any temporary contracts will be finalized after board action.
Attributions: figures and route descriptions are drawn from SMCPS staff presentations in the Feb. 4 work session transcript; transportation cost estimates and the phased cohort numbers were stated by SMCPS staff.
