Washington County holds public hearing on proposed elementary attendance-zone changes for 2027–28

The Washington County Board of Education held a public hearing on proposed elementary school attendance‑zone realignments for the 2027–28 school year. District staff presented the Facility Enrollment Advisory Committee’s recommendations and described next steps for public feedback and a tentative board vote.

Chad Criswell, a district presenter, summarized the FEAC process and results, saying the committee met from April through February 2026, held about eight meetings, evaluated 22 possible realignment options and returned 14 recommendations to the board. Criswell said the board’s superintendent added recommendation number 15 to tidy a secondary attendance boundary in an area that currently has no residences. "As of today, there's tentatively a vote scheduled for May 19 at the upcoming board meeting," Criswell said.

Criswell told attendees that meeting minutes, presentations and reports — including the superintendent’s report and the FEAC report — are posted online and available in printed form at affected schools and the Center for Education Services. He said staff in the back of the room could help residents review maps and look up addresses and invited written comments to publicfeedback@wcps.k12.md.us.

During the public‑comment portion, Brian Davis, a resident who had signed up to speak, said the proposed changes do not affect him personally but urged the board not to force students away from Emma K. Dow. "Emma K. Dow is great. We absolutely would not want our children going to Bester," Davis said, and asked whether students currently enrolled could be grandfathered to remain at Emma K. Dow rather than being reassigned. The board chair replied that the hearing format does not include back‑and‑forth discussion but that staff would review submitted comments before any vote.

Board policy KD governs the hearing format; Criswell reiterated that individual commenters are allotted three minutes and representatives of organizations five. He also noted timing constraints in board policy that attendance‑zone changes must be enacted within 60 days of the last public hearing and that board votes on such changes must occur at least 90 days before the implementation date.

After a 30‑minute recess to allow late arrivals, the board reconvened, reported no additional in‑person speakers, and adjourned the public hearing. The board has a tentative vote scheduled for May 19; the district said any final vote and implementation timeline would follow board policy and the published schedule.