ASSESSING FACILITY UTILIZATION ANDBALANCING SCHOOL ENROLLMENT

Presentation to the

Board of Education

April 17, 2020

Enrollment and School Capacity Trends

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0

200

400

600

800

1,000

1,200

36,800

37,000

37,200

37,400

37,600

37,800

38,000

38,200

38,400

38,600

2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Increasing Enrollment

Increasing Special Education Needs

Increasing Pre-K Enrollment and Full Day Programs

Year (September 30th)

# o

f St

ud

ents

Dis

tric

t W

ide

# of Stu

den

ts in P

rogram

Enrollment and School Capacity Trends

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Bel Air Elementary

School

Homestead/Wakefield Elementary

School

Emmorton Elementary

School

Havre de Grace Elementary

School

Red Pump Elementary

School

Bel Air Middle School

Harford County Government’s Adequate Public Facility Ordinance(APFO)

• If a school is at or projected to be at 110% of State Rated Capacity (SRC) within 3 years

• Preliminary plans for subdivisions of greater than five lots cannot be approved

Elementary School Capacity

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• Total capacity 17,848

• Total % capacity 91%

• Available capacity 1,729

• County growth envelope

• Neighboring attendance areas

• Route 40 corridor

• Most capacity northern portion of the county

September 30th Enrollment Data

Capacity Trends

Middle School Capacity

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• Total capacity 10,371

• Total % capacity 88%

• Available capacity 1,247

• County growth envelope

September 30th Enrollment Data

Capacity Trends

High School Capacity

6

• Total capacity 13,946

• Total % capacity 81%

• Available capacity 2,671

• Sufficient capacity county wide

September 30th Enrollment Data

Capacity Trends

Enrollment and Capacity Impacts

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Approved New Subdivisions Existing Neighborhoods Educational Program

Units Planned – 7,666• Single Family – 3,713• Townhouse – 2,073• Apartment/Condo – 1,880Units Remaining 4,440• Single Family – 1,913• Townhouse – 881• Apartment/Condo – 1,646

Neighborhood Transition • Housing turnover• More families with young

children • Multi-generational

homes• Multi-family homes

State Rated Capacity• Grade• Special education• CTE• Resource rooms• Alternative programsStudents served• Additional Pre-kindergarten • Early Intervention

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Recent Potential Residential Development

• Review since January 2019

• Largest potential impact around growth envelope

• Smallest impacts in the north

• Development timeframe different for each (multi-year build out)

Development Advisory Committee

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2020 Legislation - Build to Learn Act

Requires each local school board to conduct a capacity study

• Determine the current capacity of each school

• Identify demographics of students in the school compared to the overall student demographics for the school system

• Study must be complete by July 1, 2022.

• Submitted to IAC and the General Assembly by December 1, 2022

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Balancing School Enrollment

School Board Policy

FY 2021 CIP Request – Facility Planning Funding

County Government Support

• Policy Number: 20-0036-000 – Aligning Enrollment With Capacity• Policy Number: 20-0041-000 – Adjustment of School Attendance Boundary Lines

• Utilize professional consulting services • Complete a comprehensive review • Develop efficient and economical solutions to balance enrollment • Update and complete scope study for Homestead/Wakefield Elementary School

• Third Party Assessment• Align with the County growth plan

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Professional Consulting Services• Assessment of facility utilization

• Analyze requirements (current and future)

• Stakeholder involvement

• Community engagement

• Results

• Long term solutions and recommendations

• Multiple boundary adjustment scenarios

• Scope study Homestead/Wakefield

Community

Funding

TransportationStudents

Staff

Educational Programs

Capital Program

County Growth

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Balancing School Enrollment Timeline• July 13, 2020 – Contract Approval

• August - January 2021 – Consultant orientation, data collection, data analysis, boundary scenario testing, and community engagement

• February 2021 – Scenarios presented to Superintendent

• March - May 2021 – Superintendent’s public hearing(s)

• May 2021 – Superintendent’s recommendation to the Board of Education

• June - October 2021 – Board of Education public hearing(s)

• Prior to February 2022 – Board of Education decision (at least 180 days or 6 months prior to implementation also in time to incorporate changes into budget approved in January)

• 2022/2023 School Year – Implementation

Questions and Discussion

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