School Boundaries to Change in Prince George's

The Prince George's County Board of Education approved a plan last night to reshape attendance zones for 70 elementary and middle schools in the county's southwestern quadrant, affecting where more than 13,000 students will go to school in August.

The plan, passed by an 8 to 1 vote after an emotional 90-minute meeting, accounts for the already-approved closure of eight schools and adjusts the boundaries of 62 others in an area stretching from Glenarden Woods Elementary School in the north to Oxon Hill Middle School in the south.

The school board ordered a new boundary map after a study found that the system had more than 10,000 vacant seats. Board members voiced support for the plan designed by Superintendent William R. Hite Jr., but several said they did so with heavy hearts and two members called for a delay.

"These decisions are hard. I know you're upset. I know you're angry," school board Chairman Verjeana M. Jacobs (At Large) said, her voice cracking. "But inequity is staring you in the face, and I'm asking you to turn your head to inequity and turn your eyes to the opportunity that is available for this county."

Jacobs and others said the plan would make the best use of county buildings and provide more chances for residents of southern Prince George's to attend specialized programs closer to home.

The plan is meant to reduce the number of underused buildings in the county and ease crowding in some schools. The plan will trim unoccupied seats to about 5,000. Schools filled past capacity would drop from 11 to three, and temporary classrooms would be reduced from 26 to five.

Last night's debate revolved around the details of how the proposal would affect three schools: Benjamin D. Foulouis Elementary School in Morningside, the Thomas G. Pullen School in Landover and Morningside Elementary School. In a complicated waltz, some Pullen students are moving to Foulouis, which is converting to a specialized performing arts school similar to Pullen. Meanwhile, Morningside Elementary is closing and some of its students may also attend Foulouis.

Many parents have been baffled by the changes, and some school board members said they could have done a better job of communicating.

"Nothing could have given me more heartburn or sleepless nights than the situation with Thomas Pullen and Benjamin Foulouis," said Pat Fletcher (District 3). "But having said that, we had to make a choice."

The school system is scheduled to review boundaries for the rest of the county's elementary and middle schools from May to August. High school boundaries will be reviewed toward the end of the year. As a result, many of the county's approximately 200 schools will have new attendance zones over the next two years, affecting where thousands of the 128,000 students go to school. School assignments are potentially sensitive in Prince George's because academic track records can vary significantly from one campus to another.

In its scope, the boundary overhaul has been compared to a massive rezoning that took place in the late 1990s as the school system ended decades of court-ordered busing. School officials estimated 13,300 students would be affected overall, and detailed maps of the new boundaries have been placed on the school system's Web site.

The plan also saves money at a time when school systems across the region are tightening budgets. The closure of eight schools will save the Prince George's system about $5.8 million next year and eliminate more than 100 jobs.

At least one other school system in the Washington area is considering similar measures. School officials in Loudoun County have studied the boundaries of more than 30 schools this year, but the number of changes when the school board votes next week will probably be much lower.

Staff writer Michael Birnbaum contributed to this report.